SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Bona Vacantia

David Kidney: To ask the Solicitor-General what plans she has to reform the application of bona vacantia.

Harriet Harman: As a result of my hon. Friend's question, I am looking at how bona vacantia is operated and will report back to him on any changes that may arise.

Bribery

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Solicitor-General how many United Kingdom citizens have been prosecuted in the United Kingdom in the last five years for offences of bribery committed abroad.

Harriet Harman: No United Kingdom citizens have been prosecuted for offences in the UK of bribery committed abroad because current legislation does not allow it. It will, though, be possible to prosecute if the offences under the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill become law.

Domestic Violence

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will report on recent progress with prosecuting perpetrators of domestic violence.

Harriet Harman: There is considerable and encouraging progress in prosecuting crimes of domestic violence. For the first time, next week the CPS will be issuing guidance to Crown prosecutors on domestic violence. That guidance will be published, and that will be the first time that any CPS guidance has been published. To support our prosecutors to do their work as well as possible, there will be a national network of domestic violence prosecutors. A new ministerial committee on domestic violence will co-ordinate work across Government.

Crown Prosecution Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will make a statement on the operation of the Crown Prosecution Service; and how it is affected by the location of magistrates courts.

Harriet Harman: The Crown Prosecution Service prosecutes cases which have been investigated by the police. The CPS is affected by the location of magistrates courts by the need to be located where the witnesses and victims can get to them, and they need to be accessible for the crown prosecutors and caseworkers who prosecute in them.

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate

Ben Chapman: To ask the Solicitor-General how many successful prosecutions there were in the last 12 months of people accused of rape who used GHB.

Harriet Harman: The Crown Prosecution Service holds no central records showing case outcomes broken down to particular offences or types, nor is the information held centrally by the Home Office. I will ask my officials to keep me informed on any cases that involve this drug.

Child Sexual Abuse

Julie Morgan: To ask the Solicitor-General what the policy of the Crown Prosecution Service is in connection with allegations of child sexual abuse.

Harriet Harman: The CPS applies the evidential and public interest tests set out in the code for Crown prosecutors in all cases referred to it by the police so that it can make fair and consistent prosecution decisions.
	Children form a class of victims and witnesses to whom special care should be given. CPS policy in relation to child abuse cases has three key principles: expedition, sensitivity and fairness. Delay should be avoided in all cases involving a child victim or witness. Child witnesses should be afforded as much protection as necessary to enable them to give their evidence in a way that both maintains the quality of that evidence and minimises the trauma suffered by them. CPS policy emphasises that the best interests of the child should be the first, but not the final, consideration when assessing the public interest.
	The CPS works together with other statutory agencies in accordance with the inter-agency guidance "Working Together to Safeguard Children".

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards

David Winnick: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what discussions he has had with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards over the decision that her contract is not to be renewed as a matter of course.

Archy Kirkwood: holding answer 16 November 2001
	The Speaker had a private meeting with the commissioner on 16 October.

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards

David Winnick: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what recent consultations he has had with the Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life regarding the duties of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards; and if he will make a statement.

Archy Kirkwood: holding answer 16 November 2001
	None. Although the post of Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards was established as a result of the work of the Nolan committee, the House of Commons Commission does not see a need to consult the Committee on Standards in Public Life each time the post of commissioner is advertised. In any event, I understand that the Committee on Standards in Public Life does not concern itself with individual cases.

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards

Peter Bottomley: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the words were of the advertisement for the post of Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards on each of the occasions on which applications have been sought.

Archy Kirkwood: I have already placed in the Library a copy of the advertisement which appeared in the national press on Sunday 4 November 2001, in response to the hon. Member's previous question on 2 November 2001, Official Report, column 863W. Copies of the advertisements which appeared in 1995 and 1998 will be placed in the Library today.

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards

David Winnick: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the previous Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards was offered a renewal of his contract.

Archy Kirkwood: holding answer 15 November 2001
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Worthing, West (Peter Bottomley) on 2 November 2001, Official Report, column 864W.

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards

Peter Bottomley: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, on what the assessment of the work of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is based; and whether the issues have been discussed with the present holder.

Archy Kirkwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 2 November 2001, Official Report, column 863W.

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards

Peter Bottomley: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what (a) written and (b) other sources of advice on best practice were relied on in agreeing (i) the terms of and (ii) the advertisement for the post of Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

Archy Kirkwood: holding answer 15 November 2001
	As in all such matters, the commission is advised in confidence by the Department of Finance and Administration and the Legal Services Office. In this case, it has also been advised by the recruitment consultants Saxton Bampfylde Hever plc.

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards

David Winnick: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what representations have been received on the performance of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards from (a) hon. Members and (b) non-members; and if he will make a statement.

Archy Kirkwood: holding answer 15 November 2001
	There have been no submissions to the Commission on the matter.

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards

David Winnick: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what has been the average annual number of cases which the present Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards has been investigating during her term of office.

Archy Kirkwood: holding answer 15 November 2001
	Over the past three years, complaints requiring assessment have averaged 120 a year. The commissioner completed an average of 14 full investigations a year, each resulting in a report to the Standards and Privileges Committee.

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards

David Winnick: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, for what reason the new contract for the post of Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards will involve fewer working days than the present contract.

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, for what reason (a) the hours required from and (b) the salary paid to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards are being reduced.

Archy Kirkwood: holding answers 15 and 19 November 2001
	The Commission believes that three days per week should be adequate to conduct the duties of the post. This is the level of time commitment that was established for the first commissioner. The figure of three days is not set in stone, and will be discussed with the successful candidate for the post. Salary is commensurate with hours worked.

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards

Peter Bottomley: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, when it was decided (a) to drop and (b) to reinstate the option of reappointment of the holder of the post of Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards by mutual agreement.

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, for what reason the decision to offer the next Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards an extension to his or her contract by mutual agreement was not taken in respect of the present postholder.

Archy Kirkwood: holding answers 15 and 19 November 2001
	There has been no such decision. As to the position of the present commissioner, I refer the hon. Member to my answer today to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (David Winnick), column 483W.

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards

David Winnick: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, for what reason the Parliamentary Commissioner has not been offered an extension to her contract.

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, for what reason it was decided not to renew without the requirement for open competition the contract of the current postholder of the post of Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

Archy Kirkwood: holding answers 15 and 19 November 2001
	The appointment was made for a three-year term. Any extension or renewal would be a matter for agreement by both parties. The commission considered that a new appointment should be made following an open competition. The current commissioner is eligible to apply and may be appointed for a further three-year term if she applies for the post and is successful at the final short list stage.

House of Commons Commission

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will make it his policy henceforth that the Commission will (a) meet in public and (b) publish agendas and minutes of its meetings.

Archy Kirkwood: holding answer 19 November 2001
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Worthing, West (Peter Bottomley) on 2 November 2001, Official Report, column 864W.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the European Union about its contribution to humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan; and what was the outcome.

Clare Short: I had informal meetings with European Union Development Ministers on 10 October and 8 November. We agreed upon the importance of continued, substantial, assistance from the European Union for humanitarian programmes in Afghanistan. We also agreed on the importance of effective international co-ordination.
	The EC's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) has recently announced the provision of a further 15 million euro of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. This brings the amount of EU humanitarian aid committed for the Afghan people so far in 2001 to nearly 44 million euro. The UK contributes 19 per cent. of this.

Afghanistan

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on (a) recent developments in the supply of humanitarian resources in Afghanistan and (b) her priorities in the supply of humanitarian needs in Afghanistan over the next three months.

Clare Short: There has been good progress by humanitarian agencies in opening up routes to get food and other emergency supplies into Afghanistan. From 13 November until 19 November, World Food Programme (WFP) operations were suspended (due to local hauliers' concern about the security situation in southern Afghanistan). The WFP resumed operations from Peshawar on 19 November. Operations from Quetta are still suspended, although the WFP continues to deliver food via the northern routes from Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. International staff from humanitarian agencies are beginning to return to Afghanistan, where possible, in order to accelerate deliveries so that winter stockpiles can be strengthened.
	Our immediate priorities are to help meet lifesaving needs within Afghanistan, to support refugee needs in neighbouring countries and to strengthen the work of international humanitarian agencies. At the same time, we will also support the people of Afghanistan in building a better future. We continue to work with the international community on plans for rehabilitation and recovery. The principles and priorities guiding our approach are outlined in a document entitled "Afghanistan—Recovery: An emergency plan for the first 100 days". A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Afghanistan

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with (a) her counterparts in other Governments and (b) the United Nations High Commission for Refugees on the aid programme for Afghan refugees (i) within the borders of Afghanistan and (ii) in neighbouring countries.

Clare Short: My Department is in regular contact with other Governments through the Afghanistan support group of major donors, including USA, Japan and European countries. We are also in daily contact with key agencies, including UNHCR, regarding the humanitarian situation in the region.
	In its inter-agency donor alert, the UN system identified $664 million of priority needs for Afghanistan. Over $700 million has been pledged against the appeal—sufficient to meet immediate requirements—of which over $280 million have actually been contributed (over 40 per cent. of the requirement). This is good by historic standards.
	The UK was the first donor to pledge assistance, even prior to the UN inter-agency donor alert. We have so far allocated £40 million to support the work of UN agencies, the Red Cross movement and NGOs for immediate humanitarian assistance to Aghans, both in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries. Of this, £3 million has been disbursed to UNHCR, and includes financial, technical and in-kind assistance in support of its regional programme. At UNHCR's request, my Department has provided three relief flights to Iran and Pakistan transporting tents, shelter material and communications equipment. We have also provided a specialist site planner to UNHCR to Pakistan to assist with the setting up of new refugee camp sites.
	In addition, we have allocated a further £11 million to support refugee-hosting communities in Pakistan. This will support the delivery of public health services, the supply of drugs and health equipment, and water and sanitation services. It will focus particularly on North- West Frontier Province and Baluchistan, where most of the Afghan refugees have settled.

Afghanistan

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with UNHCR about the adequacy of provision for refugees outside Afghanistan.

Clare Short: My Department is in regular contact with UNHCR at both field and headquarters level so that resources are used effectively for the provision of assistance to refugees and the protection of their rights.
	So far we have committed £3 million to UNHCR's operations for refugees in response to the current crisis. At the request of UNHCR, my Department has provided three relief flights to Iran and Pakistan transporting tents, shelter material and communications equipment. We have also provided a specialist site planner to UNHCR in Pakistan to assist with the setting up of new refugee camp sites.
	Our assessment is that while the situation in some camps may remain difficult, the general level of assistance to refugees has improved. In addition, there is sufficient reserve capacity in Pakistan to address the needs of a further 300,000 refugees.

Ethiopia

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the status of the New Africa Initiative with respect to Ethiopia.

Clare Short: The New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), as the New African Initiative is now known, is an Africa-wide initiative, that does not focus on specific countries. Ethiopia is one of the 17 members of the NEPAD implementation committee, and therefore takes a full part in NEPAD activities. NEPAD has set up teams to work on five areas, which are capacity-building peace and security, economic and corporate governance, infrastructure, central bank and standards, and agriculture and market access. Work on these areas should bring benefits to Ethiopia, as it will to other countries in Africa that are part of NEPAD.

Ethiopia

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on bilateral agreements between the UK and Ethiopia.

Clare Short: We are currently exploring how to engage most effectively in a development partnership with Ethiopia, where the overall objective of our assistance will be to support the Government of Ethiopia's poverty reduction strategy. We will discuss plans to seek agreement with the Ethiopian Government when we hold development talks early in the new year.

Departmental Expenditure

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  if she will list her Department's aid contributions specifically aimed at human rights issues and eliminating gender disparity in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and the projected contributions for (f) 2002, (g) 2003 and (h) 2004 (i) in total and (ii) as a proportion of GNP;
	(2)  if she will list her Department's aid contributions that incorporate human rights and gender disparity in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and the projected contributions for (f) 2002, (g) 2003 and (h) 2004 (i) in total and (ii) as a proportion of GNP.

Clare Short: Information in the appropriate format has been collected centrally only since 1 April 1998.
	In the last three fiscal years, DFID has committed the following amounts to projects which are aimed at addressing human rights or gender disparity issues:
	
		£ million 
		
			 Project objective 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 Human Rights
			 Principal 95 28 23 
			 Significant 98 152 302 
			  
			 Total 193 180 325 
			 Removal of Gender Discrimination 
			 Principal 2 0.1 11 
			 Significant 223 276 265 
			  
			 Total 225 277 276 
		
	
	Principal project objectives are fundamental in its design and explicit to its goal. Significant project objectives although important are not one of the principal reasons for undertaking the project.
	It is not appropriate to present these figures as a proportion of GNP. Contributions for future years are not available.

Departmental Expenditure

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list her Department's actual and as a percentage of GNP overseas expenditure on (a) human resources, (b) technical aid (c) commodities and (d) direct financial assistance for debt relief in each of the last four years.

Clare Short: Figures on DFID's aid contribution for the last five fiscal years are available in "Statistics on International Development 1996/97—2000/01", a copy of which is posted on DFID's website at the following address: www.dfid.gov.uk/. The tables which are of relevance are "Table 12 DFID Programme: Bilateral Technical Co-operation, Table 13 DFID Programme: Bilateral Grants and Other Aid in Kind, Table 15.1 DFID Debt Relief: Retrospective Terms Adjustment by Country, and Table 15.2 Other Debt Reorganisation by Country". A printed version of "Statistics on International Development (SID)" will be placed in the Library of the House following its publication in late November.

Departmental Expenditure

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list her Department's overseas aid contribution for (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and projected contributions for (f) 2002, (g) 2003, and (h) 2004 broken down by (i) bilateral, (ii) EU, (iii) multilateral and (iv) NGO aid contributions (A) in total and (B) as a proportion of GNP.

Clare Short: Figures on DFID's aid contribution for the last five fiscal years are available in "Statistics on International Development 1996/97—2000/01", a copy of which is posted on DFID's website at the following address: www.dfid.gov.uk/. The tables which are of relevance are "Table 3 Gross Public Expenditure on Aid 1996/97—2000/01, and Table 13 DFID Programme: Bilateral Grants and Other Aid in Kind". Please note it is not appropriate to provide these categories of assistance as a proportion of GNP or to provide projected contributions for future years. A printed version of "Statistics on International Development (SID)" will be placed in the Library of the House following its publication in late November.

Departmental Expenditure

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list her Department's overseas aid contributions for the years (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and projected contributions for the years (f) 2002, (g) 2003, and (h) 2004 (i) in total and (ii) as a proportion of GNP.

Clare Short: Figures on DFID's aid and contribution for the last five fiscal years are available in "Statistics on International Development 1996/97–2000/01" a copy of which is posted on DFID's website at the following address www.dfid.gov.uk/. The table which is of relevance is "Table 16.1 UK Total Net Flows to Developing Countries: 1976–2000". Please note it is not possible to provide projected contributions either in total or as a proportion of GNP. However, the Government will ensure that the ratio of oda to GNP will rise to 0.33 per cent. by financial year 2003–04.
	A printed version of "Statistics on International Development (SID)" will be placed in the Library of the House following its publication in late November.

Departmental Expenditure

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list her Department's aid contribution to emergency relief aid in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and projected contributions for (f) 2002, (g) 2003 and (h) 2004.

Clare Short: Figures on DFID's aid contribution for the last five fiscal years are available in "Statistics on International Development 1996/97–2000/01" a copy of which is posted on DFID's website at the following address www.dfid.gov.uk. The relevant table in the publication is Table 10 Humanitarian Assistance. Please note it is not possible to provide projected contributions for future years. A printed version of "Statistics on International Development (SID)" will be placed in the Library of the House following its publication in late November.

Public Bodies

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  if she will list those public bodies which are the responsibility of her Department and which are not listed in Public Bodies 2000;
	(2)  if she will list those public bodies to which her Department appoints members and which are not listed in Public Bodies 2000;
	(3)  if she will list those local bodies which were set up under legislation which is the responsibility of her Department since May 1997.

Clare Short: None.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list her Department's individual aid contributions to international sexual and reproductive health NGOs via the Civil Society Challenge Fund in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and the projected contributions for (f) 2002, (g) 2003 and (h) 2004.

Clare Short: The levels of funding granted by my Department to international sexual and reproductive health NGOs under the Civil Society Challenge Fund, since the introduction of the scheme in 2000–01 is as follows.
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 2000–01  
			 Population Services International 78 
			   
			 2001–02  
			 International Family Health 152 
			 Population Services International 240 
			   
			 2002–03  
			 International Family Health 142 
			 Population Services International 257 
			   
			 2003–04  
			 International Family Health 81 
			 Population Services International 78 
			   
			 2004–05  
			 International Family Health 12 
		
	
	The funding indicated for 2002–03 onwards represents projects to which we are already committed. Further funding will be dependent on the success of new Civil Society Challenge Fund applications.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  if she will list her Department's sexual and reproductive health aid contribution, actual and as a percentage of GNP, for (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and projected contributions for the years (f) 2002, (g) 2003, and (h) 2004 broken down into (i) bilateral, (ii) EU, (iii) multilateral and (iv) NGO aid contributions (A) in total and (B) as a proportion of GNP;
	(2)  if she will list her Department's sexual and reproductive health aid contribution in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and projected contributions for (f) 2002, (g) 2003, and (h) 2004 (i) in total and (ii) as a proportion of GNP;
	(3)  if she will list her Department's bilateral aid contributions to sexual and reproductive health aid for (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and projected contributions for the years (f) 2002, (g) 2003 and (h) 2004, broken down by country.

Clare Short: Information in the appropriate format has been collected centrally only since 1 April 1998.
	In the last three fiscal years, DFID committed the following amounts to projects aimed at Reproductive Health Services including HIV/AIDS.
	
		
			 Year £ million 
		
		
			 1998–99 39 
			 1999–2000 202 
			 2000–01 436 
		
	
	A breakdown of these figures by country has been placed in the Library of the House. It is not appropriate to present these figures as a proportion of GNP. Contributions for future years are not available.
	In addition to the figures shown in the table, over the same period, DFID made total multilateral contributions to UNFPA of £79.5 million, UNAIDS of £12 million, IPPF of £21 million and WHO-HRP of £0.3 million for activities related to reproductive health services including HIV/AIDS.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list her Department's individual aid contributions to international sexual and reproductive health NGOs in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and the projected contributions for (f) 2002, (g) 2003 and (h) 2004.

Clare Short: Figures on DFID's aid contribution for the last five fiscal years are available in "Statistics on International Development 1996–97 to 2001–01" a copy of which is posted on DFID's website at the following address www.dfid.gov.uk/. The tables which are of relevance are "Table 13 DFID Programme : Bilateral Grants and Other Aid in Kind and Table 14 DFID Expenditure through UK CSOs 2000–01". It is not appropriate to provide projected contributions for future years. A printed version of "Statistics on International Development (SID)" will be placed in the Library of the House following its publication in late November.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list her Department's emergency relief aid contributions to sexual and reproductive health programme work for (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and projected contributions for (f) 2002 (g) 2003 and (h) 2004.

Clare Short: This information is not collected centrally and to provide data on the basis requested would be at disproportionate cost.

Refrigerator Exports

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action she is taking to ensure that exports of refrigerators to the third world comply with the European regulations which come into effect on 1 January.

Clare Short: My Department applies Government policy on greening government operations and our procurement agents ensure that refrigerators purchased for use by the development programme comply with the new regulations.

Departmental Staff

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many employees of (a) her Department and (b) agencies sponsored by her Department work in (i) London, (ii) areas benefiting from EU objective 1 status, (iii) areas with objective 2 status and (iv) other areas.

Clare Short: (a) The numbers of staff employed by DFID in the United Kingdom as at 1 September 2001 were:
	(i) London—826
	(ii) In areas benefiting from EU objective 1 status—nil
	(iii) In areas with EU objective 2 status, other than London—nil
	(iv) In other areas—540 (in east Kilbride).
	(b) There are no agencies sponsored by DFID.

Cipro

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether she supported the move by the United States Government for a compulsory licence to negotiate a lower price for the anti-anthrax drug, Cipro, at the World Trade Organisation meeting.

Patricia Hewitt: I have been asked to reply.
	The negotiations between the United States Government and the manufacturers of Cipro were private matters for the parties involved. In this instance, the United States Government reached an agreement with the manufacturer of Cipro for a bulk supply of this anti-anthrax drug at reduced prices without resort to a compulsory licence.

Drug Prices

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in what circumstances she has supported developing countries seeking a compulsory licence to negotiate lower drug prices; and if she will make a statement on her policy in such circumstances.

Patricia Hewitt: I have been asked to reply.
	The trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights agreement makes clear that any WTO member can issue a compulsory licence in certain circumstances. An individual WTO member itself determines the grounds upon which such a licence would be granted.
	The declaration agreed at Doha last week on TRIPS and public health commits the TRIPS Council to finding a solution by end 2002 as to how WTO Members with insufficient or no manufacturing capacities in the pharmaceutical sector might make effective use of compulsory licensing under the TRIPS agreement. The UK (as part of the EU) intends to play a constructive role in those negotiations.

TRIPS Agreement

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if it is her policy that the TRIPS agreement should not impede developing countries from taking measures to protect their public health; and what assessment she has made of the obstacles to achieving this.

Patricia Hewitt: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK wholeheartedly supports the declaration on the TRIPS agreement and public health issued at the successful conclusion of the fourth ministerial meeting of the WTO at Doha, Qatar. The declaration makes it clear that the TRIPS agreement does not and should not prevent Members from taking measures to protect public health.
	I am confident that this agreement will both allow developing countries better access to vital medicines in the fight against diseases like HIV/AIDS and TB, and protect the patent system that promotes research into the drugs of the future.

TRIPS Agreement

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her policy is on a moratorium on formal WTO disputes over TRIPS.

Patricia Hewitt: I have been asked to reply.
	In relation to TRIPS and public health the UK wholeheartedly supports the declaration issued at the successful conclusion of the fourth ministerial meeting of the WTO at Doha, Qatar. The declaration makes clear that the TRIPS Agreement does not and should not prevent Members from taking measures to protect public health. It also extends the deadline for implementation of the agreement for the least developed countries, in relation to pharmaceutical products, by 10 years to 2016. Taken together, along with the rest of the declaration, it is clear that there is no need for a formal moratorium.
	I have placed a copy of the declaration in the Library of the House.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Government Car Pool

Gregory Barker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many vehicles in the Government car pool are electric-powered; and what plans there are to increase this number.

Christopher Leslie: The Government Car and Despatch Agency, which is responsible for running ministerial cars, has one electric car on long-term trial and one hybrid petrol/electric powered car on its fleet. Until electric cars with adequate passenger space and mileage range become available, there are no plans to increase the number of electric cars on the fleet.

TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE REGIONS

Channel Tunnel Rail Link

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  what the cost was to the Strategic Rail Authority's budget (a) in total and (b) in each year since 1997, of producing (i) each of their annual strategies and (ii) their annual channel tunnel rail link strategy;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library copies of each of the Strategic Rail Authority's annual channel tunnel strategies produced since 1997;
	(3)  what the key recommendations were from the Strategic Rail Authority's most recent annual Channel Tunnel Strategy document; what account he has taken of these recommendations; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority was established on 1 February 2001 under the provisions of the Transport Act 2000. The Act requires the authority to produce strategies, including a channel tunnel strategy. Copies of the authority's strategies will be placed in the Library of the House when they are published.

London Underground

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will place in the Library a copy of the instructions given to Ernst & Young to prepare the review of the value for money of the PPP for London Underground.

David Jamieson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has today placed in the Library a copy of the terms of reference agreed with Ernst & Young for this review.

London Underground

Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions who is financing the current advertising campaign on the London Underground relating to the benefits of the public-private partnership; and what is its cost.

David Jamieson: This is a matter for London Underground.

Trans-European Networks

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if it is Government policy that all trans-European network roads should be dual-carriageways.

David Jamieson: holding answer 15 November 2001
	No. The European Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network do not require roads represented on the TEN to be dual- carriageway standard.

Railtrack

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the value was of one share in Railtrack at (a) the time of privatisation and (b) at 1 October for each year thereafter.

David Jamieson: The flotation price of a share in Railtrack Group plc on 20 May 1996 was 380p. The share price for Railtrack Group plc for 1 October in each subsequent year is as follows:
	1 October 1996: 491p
	1 October 1997: 902p
	1 October 1998: 1,713p
	1 October 1999: 1,320p
	1 October 2000: 1,109p
	1 October 2001: 265p.

Railtrack

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what advice the Government sought about the timing of an announcement to the stock exchange of the changed plans for Railtrack plc.

John Spellar: In reaching his decision on 5 October, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State had regard to the responsibilities and duties that Railtrack Group plc has as a stock exchange quoted company.

Railtrack

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his estimate is of the legal fees for advice to his Department (a) incurred so far and (b) likely to be incurred in the rest of the 2001–02 financial year on the issues arising from the Railtrack administration.

John Spellar: I estimate that since Railtrack went into administration on 7 October 2001, my Department has incurred legal fees of approximately £400,000 for advice on issues arising from the administration. At this stage it is not possible to give an accurate estimate for the rest of this year, but it will be within the Department's budget for such matters.

Railtrack

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what accountancy advice he took on the financial position of Railtrack in connection with the petition for administration.

John Spellar: The Secretary of State received advice on Railtrack's financial position on an on-going basis. It was accountancy and financial advice that provided the evidence of a deficit of £700 million by 8 December rising to £1.7 billion by the end of March 2002, which formed the basis for the administration order. This evidence was not challenged in the High Court by Railtrack.

Railtrack

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what (a) guidance and (b) instruction has been issued to Railtrack in administration by the Government on employment in the company.

John Spellar: No such guidance or instruction has been issued.

Railtrack

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 7 November 2001, Official Report, column 289W, on letters of comfort, if he will make it his policy to place such letters in the Library; what representations he has received from potential financiers of the successor body to Railtrack for non-legally binding assurances from the Government on their support for Railtrack's successor body; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The Government are not anticipating having to provide any non-legally binding assurances on their support. If contingent liabilities are required to be entered into, they will be notified to Parliament as part of the standard procedure.

Railtrack

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what arrangements are in place for private investors to invest in the not-for-profit company replacing Railtrack; and if he is in negotiation with such investors.

David Jamieson: holding answer 21 November 2001
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to the right hon. Member for Wokingham (Mr. Redwood) on 31 October 2001, Official Report, column 671W.

Railtrack

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to her answer of 30 October 2001, Official Report, column 571W, what recent ministerial meetings there have been with the chair of the Strategic Rail Authority.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles), on 31 October 2001, Official Report, column 668W.

Railtrack

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 19 November 2001, Official Report, column 31W, on Railtrack, if he will set out the basis on which his Department determined the value of assets of Railtrack plc for the purposes of assessing the company's solvency, as requested.

Stephen Byers: As my previous reply stated, the solvency of a company is assessed on the basis of its ability to meet its debt liability payments; and this is the basis on which evidence was produced for the petition to the High Court. The determination of the value of the assets in Railtrack plc is a matter for the administrator.

Railtrack

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what information regarding the financial position of Railtrack was received by his Department between (a) 28 September and 1 October and (b) 1 October and 5 October.

Stephen Byers: holding answer 22 November 2001
	Between those dates my Department received various information on the financial position of Railtrack from various sources.

Railtrack

Michael Howard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what comparative assessment he has made of the likely impact on the public finances of a takeover of Railtrack by (a) a not-for-profit company and (b) a private company.

John Spellar: It will be for the administrator to assess and make recommendations on proposals for how Railtrack plc's property rights and liabilities are transferred out of administration as a going concern and to put a transfer proposal to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for approval. Guidelines on the criteria upon which my right hon. Friend will need to be satisfied before approving any proposal put forward by the administrator were set out in reply my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Vernon Coaker) on 31 October 2001, Official Report, column 669–71W.

Rail Industry

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which representatives of financial institutions he has met to discuss the future of the rail industry since June.

David Jamieson: The Government have had regular meetings with their financial advisers. In addition, the Government have had meetings with bondholders, institutional shareholders and with credit rating agencies.

Rail Industry

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on what occasions since 1997 the Government have refused a request to use section 54 of the Railways Act 1993.

David Jamieson: No such request has been refused since 1997.

Bus Services

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he has received a letter from Mark Fowler, Managing Director of Nottingham City Transport, of 8 November; and if he will make a statement on how competition legislation affects the ability to cross-subsidise bus services.

Sally Keeble: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Transport has received a letter dated 8 November from the Managing Director of Nottingham City Transport.
	The requirements of competition legislation in relation to the cross-subsidy of bus services is a matter for the Director General of Fair Trading.

Planning (Buckingham)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what representations he has received in 2001 on bypasses from residents of Buckingham constituency.

David Jamieson: In 2001, my Department has received representations from Buckingham residents on the A41 Aston Clinton bypass, the A418 Stoke Hammond and Western Linslade bypass and the A418 Wing bypass.

Data Protection

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many names and addresses of vehicle owners/keepers have been disclosed to third parties by virtue of that party showing reasonable cause for the disclosure over the last three years, broken down into terms of categories of reasonable cause; if the DVLA alerts third parties to the offence under section 55 of the Data Protection Act 1998; if he has undertaken data matching exercises to identify those who might be using the third party facility as a means of tracing individuals who do not want to be traced; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The number of "reasonable cause" requests for information processed against the DVLA vehicle register during the last three years are:
	
		
			  Number of requests 
		
		
			 1998–99 830,970 
			 1999–2000 883,522 
			 2000–01 955,484 
		
	
	Specific categories of reasonable cause are not recorded and it is not possible to break down the statistics in this way. Most of the inquiries are made by insurance companies and finance houses in relation to insurance claims and vehicle-related loan arrangements. The information is released, often via electronic links, under strictly defined terms and conditions, which specify the security and confidentiality of the information handled and subject to periodic audit. Information is released to around 2,500 private individuals each year. Applicants must give a full written explanation for their inquiry, and they are warned directly of the consequences under the Data Protection Act of unlawfully procuring information. The agency has not identified a need to carry out any formal matching exercises to identify inappropriate inquiries, but it does work closely with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner to facilitate the prosecution of the handful of offences that come to light each year.

Corsham Station

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when the new station of Corsham will open; and what delay there has been in its opening.

David Jamieson: The station is now expected to become operational at the start of the summer 2003 timetable. There have been delays amounting to approximately one year caused by a variety of issues which have now been resolved.

Light Rail and Tram Schemes

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the (a) light rail and (b) tram schemes which are planned and which could be open by 2010.

Sally Keeble: It is for local authorities to develop proposals for light rail or tram schemes in the context of their local transport plans. The following schemes are already under construction or have received full approval:
	
		
			 Scheme Timetable 
		
		
			 Sunderland Extension to Tyne and Wear Metro Under construction, due to open March 2002 
			 Nottingham Express Transit Under construction, due to open in 2003 
			 Three extensions to Manchester Metrolink(1) Approved, construction should begin in 2003 
			 Leeds Supertram (Three lines) Approved, construction should begin in 2003 
			 South Hampshire Rapid Transit Approved, construction should begin in 2003 
		
	
	(1) Oldham-Rochdale, Airport and Ashton-under-Lyne
	In addition, we have given provisional approval to two extensions to the Midland Metro system in Birmingham. The promoters are now seeking the necessary powers under the Transport and Works Act 1992 (TWA). The Docklands Light Rail extension to City airport has also received provisional approval, subject to TWA powers being granted.
	At present, we are considering proposals for the Bristol and South Gloucestershire light rapid transit scheme; a further extension to the Manchester Metrolink to Stockport; the Merseytram project and an upgrade of the Blackpool tramway. Transport for London is consulting on options for intermediate-mode transport for four corridors: East London transit, Uxbridge road, Cross River transit, and Greenwich waterfront.
	We are aware of a significant number of schemes that may in future be proposed by authorities, including extensions to existing systems. The investment plans set out in the 10-year plan for transport contain provision for up to 25 new light rail lines in major cities and conurbations in England outside London.

Regional Assembly (South-west)

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many written representations he has received from electors in the east Devon constituency expressing support for an elected regional assembly in the south-west of England in the last 12 months.

Alan Whitehead: The Department has received no representations on regional government from electors in the east Devon constituency.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on progress towards the public service agreement target for reducing the incidence of fire-related deaths in the home.

Alan Whitehead: The Department's public service agreement target looks for an average 20 per cent. reduction in the number of deaths from the base-line figure of 379 (the average over the years April 1994 to March 1999) for the period April 1999 to March 2004—giving a target of 303 (averaged over the five years).
	Our statistics show an encouraging trend in the overall reduction of accidental deaths in the home. We achieved our first milestone (1999–2000); the latest set of figures indicate that the Department is not far short of achieving the second milestone (2000–01) where we would hope to record no more than 327 deaths nationally (ie England and Wales). The latest figures for the calendar year 2000 indicate that about 326 died in accidental dwelling fires, in this period. This latest figure also compares with 315 deaths recorded in the previous year (1999).

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on progress towards the public service agreement target for implementing fire cover standards.

Alan Whitehead: The task group on the fire cover review expects to deliver its final report to the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council in March 2002.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions for what reason the public service agreement target for reducing the incidence of fire-related deaths in the home in 2000–01 was higher than the outturn in 1999–2000.

Alan Whitehead: The public service agreement target for accidental dwelling fire deaths measures reductions over five years. Because the number of fire deaths per year are subject to variations, it is necessary to take an average over five years to provide a more realistic measure of Government's ability to reduce preventable fire deaths.
	The milestones were set in such a way so as to aim for a uniform reduction each year until the target is reached in year five.

Registered Vehicle Keepers (Buckingham)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many registered vehicle keepers there are in the Buckingham constituency.

David Jamieson: The number of currently licensed vehicles registered to keepers in the Buckingham constituency at December 2000 was 90,207. More than one vehicle may be registered to the same keeper and it would not be possible to establish the number of individual keepers without a special exercise at disproportionate cost.

Street Warden Scheme

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many applications, of what total value, were received in each region of England under the street warden scheme; and of these, how many were successful, and with what total value in each region.

Sally Keeble: Details, by region, of applications made in England under the street warden scheme are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Region Applications Value (£) Successful applications Value (£) 
		
		
			 East 24 5,648,011 13 1,774,820 
			 East Midlands 11 3,284,644 7 1,030,073 
			 South East 34 13,270,960 15 2,009,521 
			 North West 44 13,270,270 19 2,937,791 
			 London 45 23,249,502 18 4,240,820 
			 North East 19 5,792,618 12 2,007,271 
			 South West 21 5,069,953 12 1,922,744 
			 West Midlands 41 8,050,272 17 2,188,692 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 19 6,663,159 12 2,310,216 
			  
			 Total 258 84,299,389 125 20,421,947

Train Companies (Subsidies)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what subsidies have been paid to (a) Connex South Central, (b) Go Via/Goahead and (c) Thameslink to assist them with the purchase of new trains; when these payments were made; what each company is required to do as a consequence of accepting these payments; how many confirmed orders for new trains each company has informed his Department it has made; and how many trains each company has accepted.

David Jamieson: holding answer 22 November 2001
	The following table provides details, for Connex South Central and Thameslink and for each year from franchise commencement to 2000–01, of net outturn payments (or receipts) in cash prices by the Franchising Director and, since 1 February 2001, by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA):
	
		Cash prices £ million 
		
			  Year Connex South Central Thameslink 
		
		
			 1996–97 76 1 
			 1997–98 76 3 
			 1998–99 58 (7) 
			 1999–2000 50 (18) 
			 2000–01 40 (28) 
		
	
	Ownership of the South Central franchise was transferred from Connex to GoVia on 26 August 2001. Franchise support for South Central and Thameslink is the Franchising Director's and the SRA's contribution to funding all those companies' expenditure under their franchise agreements, including any expenditure on new trains.
	Under its franchise agreement, Thameslink has no commitment to order new trains. The South Central franchise agreement included a commitment by Connex to replace its Mark I rolling stock by 1 January 2005, as required by Health and Safety Executive regulations. On 26 August that commitment was passed to GoVia, which has subsequently ordered 240 new vehicles that are due to start entering service on its South Central franchise in 2002. Further orders are expected to be placed shortly.

Homelessness

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 15 November 2001, Official Report, column 832W, on homelessness, if he will specify what provisions exist within the Homelessness Bill to ensure housing authorities take a more strategic, multi-agency approach to (a) the prevention of homelessness and (b) the re-housing of homeless households; and if he will make a statement.

Sally Keeble: The Homelessness Bill includes a requirement for housing authorities, with the assistance of social services authorities, and in consultation with other bodies including registered social landlords and voluntary organisations, to:
	carry out reviews of homelessness in their area;
	formulate and publish strategies for tackling and preventing homelessness problems based on the results of those reviews;
	publish the first strategy within 12 months of the coming into operation of these provisions; and
	publish a new strategy thereafter within five years of the previous strategy having been published.
	The Bill also requires housing authorities and social services authorities to take the homelessness strategy into account when carrying out their functions.
	Details are set out in the explanatory notes which are available in the Library.

Homelessness

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 15 November 2001, Official Report, column 832W, on homelessness, if he will specify what measures exist within the Homelessness Bill to ensure housing authorities provide the (a) timely and (b) suitable rehousing of homeless households.

Sally Keeble: The Housing Act 1996 requires local housing authorities to secure that suitable accommodation is available immediately for a housing applicant, pending completion of their inquiries, if they have reason to believe that he or she may be homeless, eligible for assistance and have a priority need for accommodation. That duty continues until the authority decides whether a substantive duty is owed. The Homelessness Bill will amend the 1996 Act so that, in all cases where the authority decides that the applicant is eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and falls within a priority need group, they must secure that suitable accommodation is available until a settled housing solution can be found.

Heavy Goods Vehicles

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will launch a road safety campaign aimed at reducing the number of HGV drivers of vehicles with a maximum loaded weight of over 7.5 tonnes driving in the offside lane of motorways with three or more lanes in England and Wales.

John Spellar: No. HGVs with a laden weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes are already banned from the outside lane of motorways (with three or more lanes). Enforcement of the law is a matter for the police.

Fair Trade Products

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what fairly traded products, other than tea and coffee, have been purchased by his Department in each of the last five years; and what was their value.

Alan Whitehead: The Department does not directly purchase these products, but within the last two months the staff restaurant contractor has introduced Fair Trade chocolate and cereal bars for sale to staff in the main staff restaurant. No figures are available on the value of these purchases.

Fair Trade Products

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps he has taken to encourage the use of Fair Trade products by local authorities.

Alan Whitehead: Local authorities are independent and autonomous and responsible within the law for making their own decisions on procurement matters. In doing so they will no doubt consider the case for purchasing Fair Trade products on their merits with regard to the need to achieve value for money in making their decisions.

South East England Regional Assembly

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what was (a) the cost of establishing, (b) the running costs since it was established and (c) the costs this year of the South East England Regional Assembly.

Alan Whitehead: The South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) has been established region—Highland voluntarily by bodies representing the interests of the south-east region. Their expenditure and start-up costs are a matter for the assembly and its members. The Government have however, allocated £500,000 this year to SEERA to help the assembly to establish a stronger strategic and scrutiny role within the region. The Government office for the south- east will be monitoring that part of SEERA's expenditure which relates to the £500,000 grant.

South East England Regional Assembly

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many people have been employed by the South East England Regional Assembly (a) this year and (b) in each year since it was established.

Alan Whitehead: These are matters for the South East England Regional Assembly.

Fire Service (East Sussex)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which fire stations have been closed in East Sussex since 1997.

Alan Whitehead: None.

Fire Service (East Sussex)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many firefighters are (a) in active service and (b) on long-term sick leave in East Sussex Fire Brigade this year; and what the figures were for each of the last four years.

Alan Whitehead: In east Sussex this year there have been 416 whole-time firefighters in active service and 11 on long-term sick leave. Due to technical difficulties, information for previous years is not currently available. East Sussex are in the process of installing a new central personnel computer system. The information requested will be available from April 2002 for the two previous years.

Travel Concessions (Middlesbrough)

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what travel concessions are available, and how many people are eligible per group, (a) in total, (b) in Teesside and (c) in the Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency.

Sally Keeble: The Transport Act 2000 requires local authorities and PTEs in England and Wales to provide half-price fares on local buses to pensioners and disabled people, with no charge for the pass. In addition, the Transport Act 1985 gives local authorities discretion to provide a more generous scheme (eg less than half-fare or free travel; discounted travel on trains, metros, trams, ferries; or cross-boundary travel). In London, the Freedom Pass scheme is covered by the Greater London Authority Act 1999. Broadly 5.5 million pensioners and 1.5 million disabled people are eligible for these concessions.
	Regional or constituency data are not held centrally.

Rough Sleepers Unit

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much money from the rough sleepers unit has been invested (a) in total and (b) broken down by area since the creation of the unit.

Sally Keeble: The rough sleepers unit has a programme budget (both capital and revenue) of £200 million over three years. In London, a total of £159 million has been invested over three years drawn from funding streams previously administered by separate Departments. Outside London, where local authorities continue to take the lead in developing local strategies, the unit has invested £39 million under the homelessness action programme. The unit's budget is ring-fenced.
	
		Total grant for three years 1999–2000 to 2001–02, based on actual expenditure in 1999–2000 and 2000–01 and forecast expenditure in 2001–02 -- £ million
		
			   Total 
		
		
			 London 158.894 
			 South West 6.185 
			 South East 6.805 
			 West Midlands 2.227 
			 East Midlands 3.268 
			 Eastern 3.204 
			 Yorks and the Humber 2.532 
			 North West 5.378 
			 North East 1.602 
			 National 7.675 
			  
			 Total 197.77 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The national figure covers projects like the National Homelessness Advice Service where it is not possible to breakdown by region
	2. The London figure includes moneys not directly administered by the RSU (ie SHMG, capital and S.30) but which are part of our overall budget

Special Purpose Vehicles

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  what plans he has for special purpose vehicles to be created to undertake works in connection with the replacement of the (a) south-west and (b) south and central passenger franchises; and if he will place the plans in the Library;
	(2)  what plans exist for special purpose vehicles to be created to undertake works in connection with the development of the East London Line; and if he will place plans in the Library;
	(3)  if he will list those projects for which special purpose vehicles are being established;
	(4)  what role the company which replaced Railtrack will have in the special purpose vehicles set up for rail infrastructure projects;
	(5)  if he will publish the (a) framework and (b) timetable for the establishment of special purpose vehicles to undertake rail infrastructure projects;
	(6)  what research he has undertaken as to the suitability of using special purpose vehicles for rail infrastructure projects.

Stephen Byers: The framework for special purpose vehicles for rail investment projects is currently being developed by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) and my Department. The SRA strategic plan will identify the investment projects for which an SPV may be appropriate.

Planning

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he expects to publish the Green Paper on planning.

Sally Keeble: Shortly.

Domestic Sprinklers

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent representations he has received on the use of domestic sprinklers to prevent death and damage by fire in domestic homes.

Alan Whitehead: My Department regularly receives representations from organisations calling for the greater use of domestic sprinklers.
	The Government recognise that domestic sprinklers have a role to play in promoting life safety, particularly for the most vulnerable. The Fire Safety Advisory Board will continue to assess their value in the light of emerging standards and improvements in sprinkler technology. We have, therefore, recently commissioned research into the benefits of sprinklers in residential properties, including the preparation of a regulatory impact assessment. The results and conclusions from this work should be available in a little over two years from now.
	Additionally, the housing health and safety rating system, which we propose should replace the housing fitness standard, includes guidance in respect of hazards from fire. Although not mandatory for houses in multiple occupation, sprinklers may well be recommended where the risk of fire is high.

Vehicle Specification

Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what decision he has reached following the consultation exercise on the European Commission's proposal to introduce pedestrian protection features in new cars by means of a negotiated agreement with vehicle manufacturers.

David Jamieson: We have decided that we should support the negotiated approach in this case. The most significant factor is that it offers the quickest route to introducing worthwhile pedestrian protection into the design of new car models.
	The first phase of the agreement offers about 25 per cent. of the fatality reduction and 60 per cent. of the serious injury reduction expected from the European Enhanced Vehicle Safety Committee (EEVC) proposal on pedestrian protection. The full EEVC benefits are to be achieved in the second phase.
	I have recently written to the Chairmen of the European Scrutiny Committees, informing them of the Government's position.

Council Tax Discounts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he will consult on the proposed changes to the council tax discounts on second and long-term empty homes.

Nick Raynsford: I am today publishing proposals to give local authorities discretion to reduce or end the council tax discounts which owners of second and long- term empty homes currently receive.
	The Government's proposals are set out in "Council Tax: a consultation paper on proposed changes for second homes and long-term empty homes". It fulfils the Government's commitment, made in the rural White Paper last year, to consult on this issue.
	The Government are also seeking views on how the extra revenue raised should be used: whether it should be retained locally and whether it should be used for specific purposes such as housing. We are also proposing that councils should have the discretion to give council tax discounts for local reasons such as where homes are hit by flooding or in cases of individual hardship.
	Our proposals would give local authorities the flexibility to choose the best option for their communities.
	In some areas, second-home owners bring a much-needed boost to the local economy but, in other areas, a high demand for second homes is pricing local people out of the property market and undermining the viability of local services. Equally, homes left empty for long periods can blight local communities and encourage crime and antisocial behaviour. The proposals we are announcing today could be used to help encourage owners of empty homes to bring them back into use.
	More than half a million properties which are no one's main residence currently receive a 50 per cent. council tax discount. Over half of these are long-term empty properties. Potentially, up to £200 million could be raised in England by ending the council tax discounts on second and long-term empty homes.
	The Government are asking for responses to their consultation by 15 February 2002.

Planning Applications

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the latest annual figures for the number of planning applications under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in England and Wales by (a) region, (b) the number of application passed, (c) the number sent to appeal and (d) the number of successful appeals; and if he will provide the same figures for the previous 10 years.

Sally Keeble: pursuant to her reply, 14 November 2001, c. 726–28W
	The information for England for 1990–91 to 2000–01 is in the table.
	
		Planning applications and appeals against refusal: England 1990–91 to 2000–01
		
			   Planning applications(2)  Appeals against refusal(3) Percentage of 
			  Decided Granted Refused Received Decided Allowed appeals allowed 
		
		
			 2000–01
			 North East 14.7 13.6 1.0 0.3 0.3 0.1 42 
			 North West 44.3 40.0 4.2 1.1 1.0 0.4 39 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 34.5 30.8 3.6 0.9 0.7 0.3 37 
			 East Midlands 35.0 31.7 3.3 0.8 0.7 0.3 35 
			 West Midlands 37.0 32.5 4.5 1.1 0.9 0.3 35 
			 East of England 55.0 48.2 6.8 1.8 1.6 0.5 33 
			 London 53.5 43.8 9.7 2.2 1.9 0.6 32 
			 South East 89.0 77.1 11.9 3.3 2.9 1.0 33 
			 South West 56.7 49.8 6.8 1.8 1.6 0.5 33 
			 England 419.6 367.7 51.8 13.4 11.6 3.9 34 
			 1999–2000
			 North East 14.3 13.3 0.9 0.3 0.2 0.1 33 
			 North West 42.1 38.0 4.1 1.1 1.0 0.4 39 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 33.1 29.8 3.3 0.8 0.7 0.2 34 
			 East Midlands 32.9 29.9 3.0 0.8 0.7 0.2 34 
			 West Midlands 35.5 31.6 3.9 1.0 0.9 0.4 37 
			 East of England 51.7 45.6 6.1 1.7 1.6 0.5 31 
			 London 49.8 41.5 8.3 2.0 1.8 0.6 33 
			 South East 84.2 73.2 10.8 3.1 2.8 0.9 32 
			 South West 52.8 46.9 5.9 1.6 1.4 0.5 33 
			 England 396.3 350.0 46.3 12.3 11.2 3.7 33 
			 
			 1998–99
			 North East 14.4 13.4 1.0 0.3 0.3 0.1 36 
			 North West 40.5 36.5 4.1 1.1 0.9 0.4 41 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 32.7 29.2 3.5 0.8 0.8 0.3 37 
			 East Midlands 31.6 28.6 3.0 0.8 1.7 0.2 31 
			 West Midlands 35.0 30.7 4.3 1.1 1.0 0.4 37 
			 East of England 48.8 42.8 6.0 1.8 1.6 0.6 36 
			 London 49.0 40.8 8.3 1.9 1.7 0.6 33 
			 South East 80.3 69.7 10.5 3.1 2.8 0.9 34 
			 South West 50.2 44.5 5.7 1.6 1.4 0.4 30 
			 England 382.6 336.3 46.4 12.5 11.3 3.9 35 
			 
			 1997–98
			 North East 14.4 13.4 1.1 0.3 0.3 0.1 31 
			 North West 40.5 36.5 4.0 1.2 1.0 0.4 38 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 32.9 29.7 3.2 0.9 0.8 0.3 36 
			 East Midlands 32.5 29.3 3.3 0.9 0.8 0.3 35 
			 West Midlands 33.9 29.6 4.2 1.1 1.0 0.4 37 
			 East of England 47.2 41.2 6.0 1.8 1.6 0.5 32 
			 London 45.9 38.4 7.5 1.9 1.7 0.6 36 
			 South East 78.2 68.3 9.9 3.1 2.7 0.9 32 
			 South West 49.7 44.2 5.5 1.6 1.4 0.5 34 
			 England 375.2 330.6 44.6 12.8 11.3 3.9 34 
			 
			 1996–97
			 North East 14.4 13.3 1.1 0.3 0.3 0.1 38 
			 North West 39.2 35.0 4.2 1.2 1.0 0.4 35 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 32.3 28.9 3.4 0.9 0.8 0.2 31 
			 East Midlands 30.8 27.8 3.0 0.9 0.8 0.3 34 
			 West Midlands 32.9 28.9 4.0 1.0 0.9 0.3 33 
			 East of England 43.2 37.6 5.6 1.8 1.6 0.5 35 
			 London 42.3 35.2 7.1 1.8 1.6 0.6 37 
			 South East 71.1 61.9 9.2 2.9 2.5 0.9 35 
			 South West 47.1 42.0 5.1 1.6 1.3 0.5 34 
			 England 353.3 310.8 42.5 12.4 10.7 3.7 35 
			 
			 1995–96
			 North East 14.4 13.3 1.2 0.4 0.3 0.1 38 
			 North West 39.0 34.8 4.2 1.1 1.0 0.4 36 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 33.4 29.6 3.7 1.0 0.8 0.3 30 
			 East Midlands 31.5 28.1 3.3 1.0 0.9 0.3 33 
			 West Midlands 32.2 28.2 4.0 1.1 1.0 0.3 35 
			 East of England 42.9 37.3 5.6 1.8 1.6 0.5 33 
			 London 40.3 33.8 6.5 1.8 1.5 0.6 37 
			 South East 69.9 60.9 9.3 3.1 2.7 0.9 32 
			 South West 45.3 40.1 5.2 1.7 1.4 0.4 31 
			 England 348.8 305.9 42.9 13.0 11.3 3.8 33 
			 
			 1994–95
			 North East 15.9 14.6 1.4 0.4 0.4 0.1 32 
			 North West 42.4 37.8 4.6 1.3 1.2 0.5 40 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 35.7 31.6 4.1 1.1 1.0 0.3 31 
			 East Midlands 33.6 30.0 3.6 1.1 1.0 0.3 31 
			 West Midlands 34.0 29.9 4.1 1.2 1.1 0.4 36 
			 East of England 45.3 39.4 5.9 1.9 1.7 0.6 31 
			 London 40.7 34.4 6.3 1.6 1.4 0.5 35 
			 South East 71.7 62.4 9.3 3.1 2.7 0.9 32 
			 South West 48.5 42.6 5.9 1.8 1.6 0.5 32 
			 England 368.0 322.8 45.2 13.6 12.1 4.0 33 
			 1993–94
			 North East 16.8 15.4 1.4 0.4 0.4 0.1 33 
			 North West 43.2 38.5 4.7 1.2 1.2 0.4 37 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 35.9 31.7 4.1 1.1 1.0 0.3 27 
			 East Midlands 33.4 29.8 3.6 1.0 1.0 0.3 33 
			 West Midlands 35.1 30.9 4.2 1.2 1.0 0.4 35 
			 East of England 45.0 39.1 5.9 1.9 1.7 0.5 33 
			 London 39.4 33.0 6.4 1.6 1.5 0.6 37 
			 South East 68.6 59.3 9.3 3.0 2.8 0.9 32 
			 South West 48.6 42.6 6.0 1.9 1.7 0.5 31 
			 England 366.1 320.4 45.7 13.4 12.2 4.0 33 
			 
			 1992–93
			 North East 16.7 15.1 1.6 0.4 0.4 0.2 39 
			 North West 44.3 38.6 5.7 1.5 1.4 0.6 40 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 35.9 30.9 5.0 1.3 1.2 0.4 31 
			 East Midlands 33.4 29.2 4.2 1.2 1.1 0.4 34 
			 West Midlands 35.4 30.2 5.2 1.3 1.1 0.4 31 
			 East of England 44.5 37.8 6.7 2.1 1.9 0.6 33 
			 London 38.6 31.3 7.4 1.9 1.7 0.6 36 
			 South East 68.0 57.0 10.9 3.6 3.2 1.1 34 
			 South West 48.7 41.3 7.3 2.4 2.2 0.7 32 
			 England 365.4 311.4 54.0 15.7 14.2 4.8 34 
			 
			 1991–92
			 North East 17.3 15.5 1.9 0.5 0.4 0.1 34 
			 North West 49.3 42.0 7.3 1.8 1.6 0.6 36 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 40.9 34.4 6.5 1.6 1.4 0.4 30 
			 East Midlands 36.7 31.1 5.6 1.5 1.4 0.5 33 
			 West Midlands 39.0 32.6 6.4 1.7 1.4 0.4 30 
			 East of England 49.7 40.8 8.9 2.7 2.5 0.8 31 
			 London 42.5 33.5 9.0 2.2 2.0 0.7 35 
			 South East 74.6 60.5 14.1 4.5 4.0 1.3 33 
			 South West 54.1 44.1 10.0 3.1 2.8 0.9 32 
			 England 404.2 334.5 69.7 19.5 17.5 5.7 32 
			 
			 1990–91
			 North East 17.5 15.5 1.9 0.5 0.5 0.1 30 
			 North West 53.0 44.2 8.8 2.0 1.8 0.7 38 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 42.7 34.9 7.8 1.7 1.5 0.5 32 
			 East Midlands 40.1 33.0 7.2 1.7 1.5 0.5 33 
			 West Midlands 41.5 34.0 7.5 1.8 1.6 0.5 32 
			 East of England 55.3 43.5 11.8 3.3 2.9 0.9 32 
			 London 44.8 34.6 10.3 2.5 2.2 0.8 36 
			 South East 82.6 65.0 17.6 5.3 4.6 1.5 32 
			 South West 60.7 47.7 13.1 3.6 3.2 1.0 32 
			 England 438.3 352.4 85.9 22.4 19.7 6.5 33 
		
	
	(2) Section 70 planning applications, ie excludes applications for listed buildings, advertisements and conservation area consents
	(3) Figures relate to the number of appeals against section 70 planning applications refused in the year, not the number of appeals received in the year

Fridges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps the Government are taking to ensure that local authority schemes for recycling and disposing of fridges comply with EU regulations.

Michael Meacher: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department has written to all local authorities informing them of the requirements of EC Regulation 2037/2000 regarding the recycling/disposal of fridges. A further letter will be issued shortly to remind local authorities of their obligations to receive and collect waste refrigeration equipment from householders. Guidance on storage of waste refrigeration equipment has been issued in draft and we are currently considering funding options for local authorities.

DEFENCE

Defence Academy

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the job specification drawn up for the appointment of the head of the Defence Academy.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 16 November 2001
	The Defence Academy of the United Kingdom is to be a national and international centre of excellence, providing civilian and military personnel with high quality education, primarily at postgraduate level, and conducting research in fields related to defence. It will bring together, inter alia, the existing Joint Service Command and Staff College, the Royal College of Defence Studies and the Royal Military College of Science (RMCS). It is intended to exert increasing influence with national and international military and academic institutions and to provide a focus for the research effort of the existing colleges in support of defence objectives, including the development of policy and doctrine by the policy director and the joint doctrine and concepts centre. The role of the head of the academy is to establish the academy, and to develop and run it in such a way as to achieve these aims.
	The head will have overall responsibility for the academy's collective performance in delivering its outputs. While delivery of these outputs will be delegated to the heads of the component organisations, he will remain accountable for them. In particular, he/she will:
	Provide a clear vision for the academy and ensure that the teaching and research it provides are coherent and responsive to customer needs and to developing national and international circumstances.
	Create and develop links with national and international military and academic bodies and institutions, in order to establish the academy as a major influence on thinking worldwide on defence issues.
	Develop a strategic plan for the future development of the academy and the Shrivenham site, including future arrangements for academic provision and future contractual and support arrangements, to ensure coherence and cost-effectiveness of teaching and research activities.
	To facilitate the achievement of these objectives, the head of the academy will:
	Establish and maintain effective arrangements for the management of academy business and the development of synergies and relationships within and beyond the academy, and give broad policy guidance.
	Establish and maintain a focus for research in support of defence objectives, including the development of policy and doctrine by the policy director and joint doctrine and concepts centre.
	Encourage the fullest international and inter-agency participation in the academy's courses, in support of policy and defence diplomacy objectives.
	Oversee the establishment of the defence leadership centre, the joint service warrant officers' school, the defence sixth-form college, the defence technical undergraduate scheme and the defence finance training cell.
	Manage a single budget incorporating those of the component organisations.
	The head of the academy will also be responsible, through RMCS, for Welbeck sixth-form college. In addition, two new organisations will be set up as part of the academy: a defence leadership centre and a joint services warrant officers school.
	The head of the academy will report to the vice chief of the Defence staff (VCDS). The second reporting officer will be the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS). The academy budget will form part of the central top level budget.
	A policy board, chaired by CDS, and comprising key stakeholders and external members, will deal with strategy, high-level tasking and funding issues. This will subsume the role of the existing policy boards of the individual colleges but each college will retain arrangements for providing access to senior figures from academia and industry through an advisory board. An academy advisory board, chaired by the head, on which key stakeholders and customers would be represented, will agree outputs and match requirements between customers in line with capacity in the academy. The membership of the academy level boards will be determined by the head, in consultation with the Chiefs of Staff and other interested parties. The head will direct academy business through a management board, which will comprise the heads of the component organisations.
	The head of the academy will be consulted on decisions on the most senior staff and academic appointments within the academy, and on the provision of academic advice and support.
	By April 2002, he is to have put in place the academy's unified management structure. As part of that process, he is to:
	Review the reporting and customer liaison arrangements and make changes where appropriate to ensure that they are fully streamlined, eliminating duplication and applying best working practices.
	Review and rationalise the senior management structure within the academy, define the structure and roles of the academy's central organisation, and make proposals for improvement to performance across the academy, particularly in the area of enhanced coherence.
	By April 2003, he is to develop proposals for the longer-term size, shape and status of the academy including the rationalisation of academic provision and future contractual and support arrangements.
	He is to carry out a post-project evaluation of the new organisation and its constituent parts after 12 months of implementation, beginning in April 2003.

Defence Academy

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the charter of the Defence Academy and list the members of the advisory board and constituent parts of the Academy.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 16 November 2001
	The Defence Academy will comprise the Joint Services Command and Staff College, the Royal College of Defence Studies (which will remain in London), the Royal Military College of Science, the Conflict Studies Research Centre and three new elements: a defence leadership centre, a joint services warrant officers' school and a school of finance management.
	The Defence Academy will be established on 1 April 2002 as a national and international centre for postgraduate education and research in defence fields.
	A charter, or similar, for the Defence Academy, including a constitution for an advisory board, will follow further detailed implementation work.

RAF Bases

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilian staff are employed at (a) RAF Lyneham and (b) RAF Brize Norton.

Lewis Moonie: There are 269 Ministry of Defence civil servants and approximately 490 contracted and sub-contracted staff employed at RAF Lyneham, and 555 MOD civil servants and approximately 60 contracted and sub-contracted staff at RAF Brize Norton. Numbers vary from day to day depending on the requirement to use sub-contractors to carry out specialist tasks.

September 11

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has made to the Energy Review Group regarding security at nuclear power stations following the events of 11 September.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 22 November 2001
	None. The security of nuclear power stations is a matter for the Department of Trade and Industry. We are in close contact with the DTI and other Government Departments concerning any contribution the armed forces could make in this area.

September 11

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has made to the Nuclear Inspectorate regarding security at nuclear installations following the events of 11 September.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 22 November 2001
	None. The security of the Ministry of Defence nuclear installations is an MOD responsibility. However, close contact is maintained with the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate for health and safety matters at MOD licensed nuclear sites.

Royal Marines

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many recruits there were to the Royal Marines this year; and how many of these were (a) invalided out and (b) discharged for disciplinary reasons, before completing their course.

Adam Ingram: In the last 12 months, 1,180 recruits joined the Royal Marines Commando training centre at Lympstone. Of these, 51 were medically discharged and one was discharged for disciplinary offences before the end of the course.

Royal Marines

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were recruited this year to the Royal Marines, by rank, at (a) 16 years old, (b) 18 years old and (c) 21 years old.

Adam Ingram: Information for this year is available from 23 April to 12 November. The number of recruits to the Royal Marine Corp is set out in the table:
	
		
			  Ratings Officers 
		
		
			 Under 18s 219 — 
			 18–21 358 21 
			 Over 21s 151 40 
			  
			 Total 728 61 
		
	
	All ratings join as a Marine Second Class and officers as a Second Lieutenant. The ages of officers recruited cannot be broken down.

Depleted Uranium

Jack Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) guns and (b) gun barrels used for the test firing of depleted uranium shells at Eskmeals have been removed to another range not licensed for the testing of depleted uranium; who authorised such transfers; whether this complied with health and safety regulations; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: I believe my right hon. Friend may be referring to two Challenger 2 tank gun barrels used for test firing depleted uranium (DU) ammunition at the Kirkcudbright training area, but stored at the QinetiQ Eskmeals range. These were transferred on 6 November to the firing range at Shoeburyness, for test firing of non-DU ammunition, to support a Challenger 2 tank safety trial to determine acceptable limits of gun barrel erosion. The transfer was carried out by QinetiQ. A risk assessment by the radiation protection adviser showed that the levels of DU in the two barrels were so low and the DU so inaccessible that the material is not a radioactive substance within the meaning of the Ionising Radiation Regulations. These are the regulations that protect workers and members of the public who maybe exposed to ionising radiation and radioactive material from work activities.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Greenpeace/Friends of the Earth

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she last met representatives of (a) Greenpeace and (b) Friends of the Earth; and what matters were discussed.

Margaret Beckett: Representatives from both Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth attended the Waste Summit which I hosted on Wednesday 21 November. Various issues relating to the future direction of the UK's waste strategy were discussed.

Scientific Research

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list those agencies or laboratories which have conducted scientific research on behalf of her Department in the past year which are not accredited by the UK Accreditation Service.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 26 October 2001
	DEFRA commissions research with several hundred contractors, and through them many sub-contractors. The UK Accreditation Service standard is just one of a number of quality standards which such contractors may apply and meet. My Department does not hold information on its hundreds of contractors and it could not be provided except at disproportionate cost.

Countryside Visitors

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by what means she is monitoring the types of visits people undertook to the countryside in the 12 months since November 2000.

Alun Michael: The English Tourism Council undertakes a survey of tourism by residents of the United Kingdom. The survey provides information on visits to the countryside and results for 2001 will be available in early 2002.
	In addition, the Countryside Agency will be undertaking its leisure day visits survey in January 2002 to report back in 2003.

Utilities

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to review the statutory rights of utilities; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 5 November 2001
	This Department has responsibility only for the water companies. The Government published the draft Water Bill in November 2000, which includes proposals for certain changes to the statutory rights and responsibilities of water companies. These include duties to conserve water and to maintain up-to-date drought plans.
	The draft Water Bill would also require companies to disclose any links between their directors' pay and performance standards to ensure greater accountability by the companies.
	Changes to the statutory rights and responsibilities of water companies are also possible as part of the Government's on-going consideration of competition in the water industry.

Organic Farms

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she will take to protect potential organic farms from the effects of wind-blown contamination from nearby GM crop trials; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 6 November 2001
	The farm scale evaluation (FSE) trials of GM crops are separated from neighbouring compatible crops to protect them from the effects of wind-blown pollen. The separation distances depend on the type of crop and should ensure that, at the closest separation, cross- pollination does not exceed a maximum of 1 per cent. In practice, it will generally be below that level. The separation distances are greater in relation to organic crops than they are for ordinary, conventional crops. I am not aware of any instance where an FSE trial has affected the status of an organic crop. We want to maintain that position for the remainder of the FSE programme and are therefore keeping the separation distances under review. The general issue of the terms on which GM and non-GM crops might co-exist is one that the Government want to resolve before there is any question of commercial GM planting. This is not just a scientific issue, but one of public acceptability.

Convention on Biodiversity

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the (a) issues discussed at and (b) outcome of the seventh meeting of the subsidiary bodies for scientific, technical and technological advice of the convention on biodiversity.

Michael Meacher: The subsidiary body on scientific, technical and technological advice (SBSTTA) met in Montreal from 12 to 16 November. The meeting made recommendations on a number of issues to the sixth meeting of the conference of the parties (COP6) to the convention on biological diversity, to be held in April 2002 in The Hague.
	Most attention was focused on forest biological diversity, where SBSTTA proposed a comprehensive programme of further work. This will cover the status and trends of forest biodiversity, options for its conservation and sustainable use, and the role of the socio-economic enabling environment. It will include the impact of the unsustainable harvesting of non-timber forest resources, such as bushmeat.
	Other recommendations included proposals for a global strategy for plant conservation and an international initiative for the conservation and sustainable use of pollinators. Technical advice was prepared on the use of incentive measures to secure the objectives of the convention; incorporating biodiversity considerations into environmental impact assessment; and designing monitoring programmes and indicators to measure the state of biodiversity. SBSTTA also welcomed publication of the global biodiversity outlook, a comprehensive stocktaking that will help guide further implementation of the convention.
	The UK looks forward to making the best use of SBSTTA's advice, on these and other issues, including by working to ensure a successful outcome at COP6, particularly on the priority issues of forest biodiversity, alien species, access and benefit-sharing; and agreement of a strategic plan for the convention.

Coal Mine Methane

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate she has made of the benefits to the environment of capturing coal mine methane and using it to generate electricity.

Michael Meacher: A report produced for the Department earlier this year estimated that current UK emissions from abandoned coal mines are likely to be in the range of 20 to 300 kilo tonnes. The upper end of this range is equivalent to around 11 per cent. of the UK's total current methane emissions, or about 1 per cent. of UK greenhouse gas emissions as a whole. The emissions estimate is highly uncertain and we plan to carry out further work to gain a better understanding of the estimate, including the amount of gas that is in practice emitted and the potential for reducing these emissions by, for example, using the methane for electricity generation. I am aware that this Department, the Department for Trade and Industry and HM Treasury have been in discussion with the Association of Coal Mine Methane Operators about how the Government could help projects that use coal mine methane to generate electricity.

Rivers

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of rivers were (a) good, (b) fair and (c) poor quality in (i) 1996, (ii) 1997, (iii) 1998, (iv) 1999, (v) 2000 and (vi) 2001.

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of rivers in England were in (a) good, (b) fair and (c) poor quality in (i) 1996, (ii) 1997, (iii) 1998, (iv) 1999, (v) 2000 and (vi) 2001.

Michael Meacher: In England, the Environment Agency's general quality assessment (GQA) scheme classifies water quality in rivers and canals. Chemical quality, the most widely used measure, is assessed on the basis of biochemical oxygen demand and concentrations of dissolved oxygen and ammonia. Stretches of rivers and canals are assigned as good, fair, poor or bad based on different degrees of chemical quality. Results from 1996 until 2000, the latest year for which figures are available, are as follows:
	
		General quality assessment of rivers: chemical quality, England -- Percentage length of river
		
			 Year Good Fair Poor Bad 
		
		
			 1996 54 35.1 9.8 1.1 
			 1997 52.3 35.5 11.0 1.2 
			 1998 54.8 34.1 10.3 0.8 
			 1999 59.4 31.7 8.3 0.6 
			 2000 64.4 29.3 5.9 0.4

Energy Efficiency

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many households in the Isle of Wight spent over 10 per cent. of their household income on fuel and were living in fuel poverty in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000 and (e) 2001.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 19 November 2001
	The estimates of the number of fuel poor in England are based on data from the English house condition survey. Due to the nature of the survey, it is not possible to estimate the number of fuel poor within individual areas such as the Isle of Wight. The latest available information suggests that for the whole south-east Government office region, there were an estimated 270,000 households in fuel poverty in 1998.

Rural Businesses

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what was the turnover of businesses based in rural areas in the United Kingdom in (a) 1996, (b) 1997, (c) 1998, (d) 1999, (e) 2000 and (f) 2001.

Alun Michael: The turnover (£000) of VAT-based enterprises in rural areas (districts/unitary authorities as classified by the Countryside Agency) in England is as follows:
	
		
			 Year £ 
		
		
			 1999 357,774,110 
			 2000 360,296,895 
			 2001 364,896,980 
		
	
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics
	It is not possible to provide figures for earlier years because of changes in geographical boundaries.

Air Quality

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many air quality incidents have been recorded (a) in the UK, (b) in the north-east and (c) in Teesside; and what was the cause of the most potentially dangerous of those incidents in the last 12 months.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 20 November 2001
	We usually consider a "pollution incident" as an event in which high or very high air pollution has been monitored. The Department of Health's Committee on the effects of air pollution (COMEAP) has defined levels of high air pollution. They advise that during such episodes significant effects may be noticed by sensitive individuals and action to avoid or reduce these effects may be needed (e.g. reducing exposure by spending less time in polluted areas outdoors). During episodes of very high pollution the effects on sensitive individuals described for high levels of pollution may worsen. The pollution thresholds adopted by COMEAP are shown as follows.
	
		
			   Sulphur dioxide Nitrogen dioxide Ozone Particles (PM(4)) Carbon monoxide 
			 ug/m(6) (micrograms per cubic metre) Index 15 minutes 1 hour Running 8 hours Running 24 hours Running 8 hours 
		
		
			 Very High 10 (4)400 (4)400 (4),(5)180 (4)100 (4)20 
			 High 7–9 200–399 300–399 90–179 75–99 15–19.9 
			 Moderate 4–6 199–100 150–299 50–89 50–74 10–14.9 
			 Low 1–3 (6)100 (6)150 (6)50 (6)50 (6)10 
		
	
	(4) Greater than
	(5) One hour concentration
	(6) Less than
	The national automatic monitoring network currently includes 120 sites. Data are produced continuously on an hourly basis. Ratified data is available up to 30 June 2001. After this date care must be taken in interpretation of the pollution levels recorded since high measurements may be the result of instrument error that is still to be identified. Levels recorded at each monitoring site are defined according to the pollutant that is in the highest band during the day.
	Across the UK there were 10 days on which pollution levels for ozone were measured as high at one or more sites. For ozone, there were no episodes of high pollution in the north-east or Teeside. Ozone episodes are caused by a combination of sunlight reacting on volatile organic compounds and nitrogen dioxide. These pollutants can be transported long distances and a proportion of the ozone measured during these episodes is likely to have originated from continental sources.
	For sulphur dioxide there was only one incident of high pollution recorded, at Grangemouth on 24 August. This is likely to have been caused by an industrial source. A second episode measured in London is unratified data and likely to be instrument error.
	For PM 1 0 there were 50 days on which pollution levels were high or very high at one or more sites. The highest pollution was recorded at Bexley (190 ug/m 3 ) on 3 November. The episode arose from the combination of calm weather conditions across south-east England and bonfire night celebrations. This was one of the highest measurements of PM 1 0 recorded in the UK since 1992 when monitoring commenced. The second highest measurement was recorded in Manchester and arose due to cutting of concrete slabs adjacent to the monitoring station; this probably did not reflect wider air pollution.
	In the north-east there were 10 days of high or very high pollution at Scunthorpe (all for PM 1 0 ). Local industrial sources are likely to have contributed to these episodes. In Leeds, there was one day on which pollution levels for PM 1 0 were high. There were no episodes of high pollution for PM 1 0 recorded at the Middlesbrough monitoring site in Teesside.
	No episodes of high or very high pollution have been recorded in the UK during 2001 for carbon monoxide or nitrogen dioxide.

Departmental Costs

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will provide a breakdown of the cost of (a) settling the dispute between her Department and the Public and Commercial Services Union and (b) charges by the European Union for not meeting (i) foot and mouth compensation and (ii) other support payments.

Elliot Morley: (a) A breakdown of the cost of settling the dispute between the Department and the Public and Commercial Services Union cannot be given because this depends on funding and the outcome of negotiations with the union.
	(b) (i) There should be no charge by the European Union in respect of foot and mouth compensation as there are no deadlines for payment. The dispute has not delayed foot and mouth payments.
	(ii) The main impact of the industrial action so far on other CAP support payments is that many of them will be made later in the regulatory payment 'window' than would otherwise have been the case. The extent to which payments may fall outside of the window cannot be predicted since it depends on the course which the industrial action takes and the success of mitigating action being taken by my Department to ensure that delays are kept to the minimum. To date no charges have been imposed by the European Union as a result of delays caused by the industrial action.

Flooding (Insurance)

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with insurance companies about the provision of services to people who live on flood plains; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Government maintain close links with the insurance industry to help ensure continued availability of affordable flood cover. There is an agreement among Association of British Insurers (ABI) member companies that they will continue to provide flood cover, except in exceptional circumstances, for domestic properties and small businesses which they currently insure, during 2001 and 2002. Cases where there is an alleged breach of this agreement have been referred by DEFRA to the ABI for investigation. However, it must be recognised that insurance companies need to take a commercial decision as to what risk they will cover and on what terms. Also, the insurance industry is a competitive one and customers may need to shop around to obtain the best deal.
	My hon. Friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury and I met the ABI on 5 September to discuss our mutual aim of ensuring that affordable flood insurance cover continues to be generally available after December 2002. Further discussions between officials have taken place.
	Together with the flood defence operating authorities, we are reducing the risk of flooding and are communicating this to the insurance industry. We are reducing the risk through substantial increases in investment in flood and coastal defences (which now totals over £400 million a year). Flood defences are being repaired, renewed, maintained and improved. Flood warning arrangements are continually being improved. The Government have issued strengthened guidance to local planning authorities on control of development in flood risk areas, and are reviewing the financial and institutional arrangements under which the flood defence service is delivered.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Sure Start

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the location of the sure start programmes which (a) are in operation, (b) are in the process of being implemented and (c) are planned; and what are the criteria for inclusion in each element of the programme.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 13 November 2001
	Local authority districts are invited to develop sure start programmes on the basis of levels of disadvantage and poverty, though achieving a good mix between rural, urban, semi-urban and coastal areas and across the country is also ensured. Once a district has been invited to develop a programme it is up to local stakeholders—from the voluntary, statutory and community sectors—to decide upon the local catchment area. Partnerships are asked to choose a catchment area with high levels of need and which is among the poorest in the district.
	Table A shows the locations of sure start programmes for which funding has been approved and are delivering services or starting to deliver them. Table B shows the locations which are currently developing sure start programmes. All of these areas will receive approval once their plans meet the standards set out in the sure start guidance. The tables have been placed in the Libraries.

Sure Start

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to extend sure start to all local education authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Sure start aims to support young children and their families living in disadvantaged areas so that they have improved life chances. The Government have now announced 437 out of the 500 sure start programmes planned to be operational by April 2004. These are located in 197 different local authority districts and in 130 out of the 150 local education authority (LEA) areas. At least a further 63 programmes will be announced next year which may extend sure start to more LEAs. In addition to the 500 full-scale sure start programmes, we have allocated £22 million to establish 50 small sure start programmes to reach pockets of deprivation, particularly those in rural areas. These will be located in 34 different LEA areas, bringing the total number of LEAs with a sure start presence to 135.
	The experience and lessons learned from sure start will be shared widely so that, even where there is no local sure start programme, children and parents in the area will benefit from access to improved services.

Sure Start

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the cost and performance of the sure start programme (a) nationally and (b) the boroughs of Middlesbrough (ii) Redcar and (iii) Cleveland.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 16 November 2001
	The Government are committed to establishing 500 sure start programmes by March 2004. In July of this year, the fifth wave of sure start was announced. This brought the total number of programmes announced so far to 437. Over 200 of these programmes have received final approval and are delivering services to children and families in disadvantaged areas. In total, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland have been invited to submit plans for eight sure start programmes. Of these, three have been approved, one is in the final stages of planning and the other four are in the very early stages of planning.
	Nationally, over £600 million has been committed to approved programmes for their first three years of operation. The three approved programmes in Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland will receive approximately £6.5 million of this.

Village Schools

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what factors militate against the presumption against closure of village schools.

Stephen Timms: Our guidance to school organisation committees makes it clear that the presumption continues to be against the closure of rural schools, and that in considering such proposals the committee should take account of the following factors:
	the accessibility of alternative schools and sites;
	the standard of the school and the standards of alternative schools;
	the overall supply of school places in the area and the likely future demand for places;
	the overall effect of the closure on the local community;
	the cost implications of the possible options;
	any points made by the LEA;
	any points made by the school proposed for closure;
	the views of parents and other interested parties;
	the effect on the school journey, including long-term transport costs, and whether the closure will result in more pupils experiencing longer journeys to school and more pupils being driven to school by car.
	We have not said that no rural school should close, but the case for closure needs to be strong and the proposals clearly in the best interest of the children, parents and education in the area.

Asylum Seekers

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many asylum seekers' children are being educated in UK schools; and what is the (a) local education authority, (b) country of origin and (c) age of the children.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 22 November 2001
	The Refugee Council recently estimated that there are approximately 70,000 children of asylum seekers and refugees in UK schools. However, it is not possible to specify the local education authorities, country of origin and age of these children as this Department does not require local education authorities or schools to keep this information.

Asylum Seekers

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money is allocated to UK schools for each asylum seeker child in their school.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 22 November 2001
	Schools receive funding for children of asylum seekers in the same way as they do for all other children on the school roll, through the education standard spending assessment. It is not possible to say how much each school receives through this funding mechanism. This is because this Department does not require schools and local education authorities to keep information about the numbers of children of asylum seekers on each school roll.
	Children of asylum seekers can benefit from the ethnic minority achievement grant. Local education authorities decide which schools they will need to devolve funds to, or otherwise support, under the grant, taking into account each school's particular needs. For the current financial year funding stands at £154 million. In addition, for 2001–02, £1.5 million has been made available to support the education costs of children of asylum seekers. This funding is available to schools in the cluster areas to help settle these children into school and acquire English language skills.

South Tyneside

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which schools in south Tyneside have been granted funding for teacher training.

Stephen Timms: The information is not collected centrally. Schools may receive funding for activities related to the initial and continuing training of teachers from a variety of sources.

Education Action Zones

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on what date she took a decision to end the education action zone programme.

Stephen Timms: All education action zones (EAZs) will complete their agreed full statutory term. Under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, EAZs had a maximum statutory term of five years. Our announcement on 14 November proposes that, wherever possible, we aim to continue to support ex-EAZ schools through our excellence in cities (EiC) initiative, following the end of the zones statutory term.

Education Action Zones

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will publish proposals for future development of former education action zones in (a) rural and (b) suburban areas.

Stephen Timms: Wherever possible, we aim to find ways of continuing to support ex-EAZ schools following the end of each zone's statutory five-year term. Depending on local circumstances, we hope to do this largely through the excellence in cities initiative. My officials are starting discussions with each zone on the future of the zone, with a view to having firm proposals well before the end of its statutory term.

Education Action Zones

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the costs of winding up education action zones will be.

Stephen Timms: All education action zones will complete their agreed full statutory term. Each education action zone (EAZ) will need to make arrangements to dispose of any assets and to meet any employment liabilities in accordance with guidance issued by the Department for Education and Skills in the EAZ handbook.
	The costs will vary from zone to zone depending on their individual circumstances and liabilities. All costs will be met from within the existing education action zone programme budget.

Education Action Zones

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes to the excellence in cities scheme she proposes to accommodate former education action zones.

Stephen Timms: My Department will discuss with each education action zone, and the relevant excellence in cities (EiC) partnership, the way forward for ex-zone schools. This could include the creation of new non-statutory EiC action zones in existing EiC areas or the development of new excellence clusters in areas not currently covered by EiC.

Education Action Zones

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the education action zones which (a) have and (b) have not achieved their objectives.

Stephen Timms: All education action zones (EAZs) have individually agreed targets. These targets cover the zone's full five-year statutory term. It will not be possible to assess whether each zone has met its objectives until the end of that term. Progress towards these objectives will continue to be monitored.

Student Support

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the members of the working group established to serve on her Department's review of student support; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills announced on 3 October 2001 that she is leading a review of student funding, including representatives from the Department for Education and Skills, HM Treasury and Inland Revenue.

Student Support

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research she has commissioned as part of her Department's review of student support; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: We have examined existing research on students' attitudes to higher education, their income and expenditure, as well as perceptions of debt. Since 1998 we have commissioned further research to monitor the impact of our reforms in higher education.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Western Sahara (Referendum)

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the UN administration in the Western Sahara to name a date for a referendum on the future governance of the territory.
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK supported United Nations Security Council resolution 1359, which was passed unanimously on 29 June 2001. This reiterated full support for the on-going efforts of MINURSO to implement the settlement plan and the agreements by the parties to hold a free, fair and impartial referendum for the self- determination of the people of western Sahara.
	The United Nations Security Council resolution made no provision for setting a date for the referendum and at this stage we do not know when it will be possible to set such a date.
	The resolution does, however, reaffirm the UN's commitment to assist the parties in achieving a just and lasting solution to the question of the western Sahara. The personal envoy of the Secretary-General is currently engaged in an attempt to resolve the dispute. The special envoy is discussing with the parties the draft framework agreement (as set out in the United Nations Secretary- General's report of June 2001) which may offer a mutually agreed political solution to the dispute. He has also discussed with the Polisario their proposals to overcome the obstacles faced in the settlement plan.

Oil for Food Policy (Iraq)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the performance of the oil for food policy regarding Iraq and the attitude of the Iraqi Government towards this policy.
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Ben Bradshaw: The oil for food programme is the UN's largest humanitarian programme ever, worth some $12.5 billion last year alone. In his most recent report (September 2001), the UN Secretary-General concludes that the oil for food programme has made a considerable difference to the lives of ordinary Iraqis and, in spreading beyond the food and medicine sectors, to the rehabilitation of Iraq's civilian infrastructure.
	These achievements have been made despite the continuing efforts of the Iraqi regime to hamper the oil for food programme. For example, around $2 billion of funds lie unspent by Iraq in UN accounts and the Iraqi Central Bank consistently holds up the delivery of around $1 billion-worth of goods. Iraq continues to refuse to allow UN officials to enter Iraq to discuss a cash component for sectors identified by the UN Secretary- General as being critical, such as health, education and water and sanitation.

Iraq (Sanctions)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on the impact of sanctions on the access of Iraqi citizens to clean water; and if he will make a statement.
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Ben Bradshaw: We regularly receive parliamentary and public correspondence on all aspects of sanctions on Iraq, including the water and sanitation sector.
	Since 1990, the UK has donated over £100 million of humanitarian aid to Iraq (including £5.5 million this year) for projects which include the rehabilitation of water and sanitation infrastructure. In addition, earlier this year the EU agreed a 13 million euro aid package for projects which include the provision of clean drinking water.
	By contrast, the Iraqi regime continues to hamper all aspects of the oil for food programme. At a time when around $2 billion lies unspent by Iraq in the UN escrow account, Iraq has, for example, cut spending in this sector by 18 per cent. in 2001 compared to last year. Iraq continues to refuse to allow UN officials to enter Iraq to discuss a cash component for sectors identified by the UN Secretary-General as being critical, one of which is water and sanitation.

International Coalition (Afghanistan)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those countries that support the international coalition's actions in Afghanistan.
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones) on 20 November 2001, Official Report column 182W.

EU Political and Social Affairs Committee

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on activities being undertaken by the EU Political and Social Affairs Committee.

Peter Hain: The European Union Political and Security Committee meets regularly in Brussels, usually twice a week, to discuss current foreign policy issues and questions relating to the European security and defence policy.

Gibraltar

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if it is his policy that change in the constitutional status of Gibraltar will occur only after the agreement of the majority of the resident community.

Peter Hain: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) on 19 November 2001, Official Report, column 26W.

Poland

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of Poland about their expulsion of the representative of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Peter Hain: It is not for Her Majesty's Government to intervene in bilateral matters of this kind between two NATO allies. Poland has given full support to the international effort against terrorism. The Polish President hosted a conference for regional Prime Ministers on 6 November to discuss concrete anti-terrorism measures.

Kosovo

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he has had since October regarding the future of Kosovo; and if he will make a statement on the result of the recent elections in the province.

Denis MacShane: holding answer 22 November 2001
	The elections were a landmark in Kosovo's development as a multi-ethnic, democratic and tolerant society. I look forward to this diversity and tolerance being reflected in Kosovo's first truly democratic and representative Government.
	The Assembly elections on 17 November, in which all of Kosovo's communities participated, took place peacefully. Both the Council of Europe observer mission, led by a British expert, Owen Masters, and the OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly delegation, led by my right hon. Friend the Member for Walsall, South (Mr. George), declared the elections free and fair.
	According to preliminary results issued by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) won 46.29 per cent. of the vote, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) won 25.54 per cent., the Serb coalition "Return" won 10.96 per cent. and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) received 7.82 per cent. Final results should be known by 24 November.

Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Chelmsford of 26 July on his constituent Mr. Grant Davis.

Ben Bradshaw: I wrote to the hon. Member on 29 October.

Afghanistan

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what instructions will be given to British troops relating to the protection of local people from violence perpetrated by future governing regimes.

Geoff Hoon: I have been asked to reply.
	Wherever they are engaged, British forces are required to act in accordance with national and international law.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Consultation Documents

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many consultation documents were issued by his Department from (a) 15 October to 14 January, (b) 15 January to 14 April, (c) 15 April to 14 July and (d) 15 July to 14 October in each year from 1996.

John Reid: The information requested is as follows:
	
		Number of consultation documents issued
		
			  15 October to 14 January 15 January to 14 April 15 April to 14 July 15 July to 14 October 
		
		
			 1996–97 1 2 — 1 
			 1997–98 5 1 1 — 
			 1998–99 — 2 1 1 
			 1999–2000 — 3 1 — 
			 2000–01 3 2 1 1

Plastic Bullets

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many plastic bullets were procured for the (a) Royal Ulster Constabulary and (b) Police Service of Northern Ireland in each year from 1995 to present.

Jane Kennedy: The table gives details of the numbers of baton rounds procured by the Royal Ulster Constabulary each year from 1995 to present.
	
		
			 Year Baton rounds procured 
		
		
			 1995 25,200 
			 1996 60,875 
			 1997 33,900 
			 1998 75,227 
			 1999 50,400 
			 2000 76,320 
			 2001(7) 46,000 
		
	
	(7) To date
	The date the Police Service of Northern Ireland has not procured any baton rounds.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Sport (East Midlands)

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her plans to develop grassroots sports in the east midlands.

Richard Caborn: The Government are committed to the development of sport and increasing opportunities for participation throughout the country. The strategy for sport—"A Sporting Future for All"—and the Government's plan for sport set out an action plan on how we intend to achieve those objectives. Responsibility for developing grassroots sport at the regional level rests with a number of organisations including Sport England, local authorities, local education authorities, schools, sports governing bodies, sports clubs, volunteers, and in order to ensure the best use of resources it is essential that all these interests work in partnership.
	In the east midlands, the regional sports board is providing leadership and direction to this work and in close co-operation with Sport England has engaged the main partners in developing the Region's sporting infrastructure and planning for the future.
	All of the programmes for providing better sports facilities and improving sports provision are being implemented in the region including lottery funding, where over £100 million has been committed to the region, the school sport co-ordinators programme and specialist sports colleges while the spaces for sport and arts, NOF round three and NOF green spaces programmes will all be injecting significant new resources into facilities which will be available to schools and the wider community.
	For the future I have made it clear that I wish to see strengthened regional structures for the delivery of sport in the regions which involves local decision making and strong partnerships with all the key local interests. I will be discussing these issues with the Sport England Council and its new chief executive when he is in post.

Gambling Review

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many representations she has received on the gambling review report.

Richard Caborn: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) on 19 November 2001, Official Report, column 22W.

Gambling Review

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to implement the Gaming Board's triennial review recommendations on machine stakes and prizes.

Richard Caborn: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Hall Green (Mr. McCabe) on 21 November 2000, Official Report, columns 313–34W.

Gambling Review

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what role the Minister for Tourism will have in assessing the impact of the Budd report into gambling on seaside resorts before her Department publishes its proposals.

Richard Caborn: All Ministers in the Department will support and advise my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in reaching decisions on the report; and those decisions will take proper account of the full range of her responsibilities

Gambling Review

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many representations she has received about recommendation 75 of the Gambling Review; and how many supported the recommendation.

Richard Caborn: We have received over 100 comments on this recommendation. Four supported it in the terms in which it was set out in the report of the gambling review body. Substantially more supported the proposition in the recommendation that on-licensed premises should be entitled to up to two gaming machines by virtue of their liquor licences (with a higher entitlement for those premises which already had a higher number) but argued either for a higher entitlement of four machines or for licensing authorities to have discretion to authorise more than two machines in appropriate cases.

Gambling Review

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the impact on employment if recommendation 75 of the gambling review is initiated;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the impact on publicans if recommendation 75 of the gambling review is initiated.

Richard Caborn: Many of the comments on this recommendation have raised concerns about its possible impact on business and employment. We are considering all representations on the report of the gambling review body with care, but have not yet completed our assessment of them.

Playing Fields

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will publish the figures produced by her Department's monitoring unit on the sale of playing fields for (a) April 2000-March 2001 and (b) April 1999-March 2000 for applications received for sales of (i) school playing fields under one standard pitch size as defined by Sport England as suitable for 10 year olds, (ii) school playing fields greater than one standard pitch size, (iii) non school playing fields under one standard pitch size and (iv) non school playing fields greater than the standard pitch size, stating in each case how many of the applications received by her Department were (a) successful, (b) rejected, (c) withdrawn, (d) not yet determined and (e) called in for special consideration.

Richard Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith) on 20 November 2001, Official Report, columns 189–90W.

Offshore Wind and Biomass Projects

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money has been allocated from the new opportunities fund for offshore wind and biomass projects; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The new opportunities fund will, by 2006, commit £50 million to projects that are designed to develop renewable electricity generation by building generating capacity for electricity from energy crops, build offshore wind electricity generation projects and develop small-scale biomass heat/combined heat and power projects. Of this £50 million, at least £33 million should be committed to developing renewable electricity generation by building generating capacity for electricity from energy crops, at least £10 million should be committed to building offshore wind electricity generation projects and at least £3 million to small-scale biomass heat/combined heat and power projects.

New Opportunities Fund for Sport

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer of 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 501W, what are the regional administration costs of establishing the new opportunities fund for sport; and what are the costs of the regional Sport England officers.

Richard Caborn: The new opportunities fund is the body designated in the National Lottery Act 1998 to distribute lottery funds to initiatives concerned with health, education and the environment. They have a presence in the nine English regions which is responsible for the regional aspects of all 13 programmes. The representatives have been in place since September 2001, and are expected to cost £307,539 per year to maintain. Sport England has nine regional offices with running costs for 2000–01 of around £6,484,100.

Sports Projects

John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what role Sport England will play in the assessment of grant applications for school sports projects funded by the new opportunities fund.

Richard Caborn: Grant applications for the New Opportunities for PE and sport programme will be assessed in two stages. At stage one, Sport England will provide support and advice to local organisations to help the development of strategies and portfolios of projects. These applications will then be assessed by the new opportunities for PE and sport committee for England, two of whose members are full board members of Sport England. The fund and Sport England are currently discussing how best Sport England can provide support at the second stage of the application process.

Lottery Funding

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is the level of lottery funding expected for competitive sport for (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; and what was the level in 1996–97.

Richard Caborn: My Department's funding for competitive sport is provided through the lottery-funded world class programme, administered by the Sports Councils: UK Sport and Sport England.
	The Sports Councils expect to provide funding of over £50 million in 2001–02 to this programme and over £40 million has already been committed for the year 2002–03 with further awards anticipated. There was no lottery expenditure for the world class programme in 1996–97.

Television Licence

James Purnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will announce the television licence fees that will come into force next year; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: On 21 February 2000, the Government announced their conclusions on the recommendations of the independent review panel on the future funding of the BBC. In addition to a range of measures designed to improve BBC efficiency and accountability, the Government introduced a new funding formula providing for changes in the licence fee of RPI plus 1.5 per cent. for each year from 2000–01 to 2006–07. This formula will enable the BBC to provide a strong and distinctive schedule of high quality programmes and remain at the forefront of broadcasting technology.
	Application of the RPI figure of 1.7 per cent. for the year to September 2001, plus 1.5 per cent., to the current unrounded licence fees produces new rounded totals of £112.00 for a colour licence and £37.50 for a black and white licence. The necessary regulations to bring these fees into force will be laid before the House in due course.

Media Ownership

James Purnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will publish her proposals to reform the existing rules on media ownership.

Tessa Jowell: The consultation paper entitled "Consultation on Media Ownership Rules" will be published on Monday 26 November to help us determine the best way to regulate media ownership. There will be two months formal consultation ending on 25 January 2002. Copies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament and on Monday and will be available on the Department's website at www.culture.gov.uk. Having considered the responses, we will publish our proposals in the draft Communications Bill next year. There will then be a further, three-month period of consultation.

Medically Therapeutic Activities

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the joint initiatives and funds that are applied to the provision of leisure and sporting activities that are classed as medically therapeutic; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Government fully accept that physical activity and sport has a range of benefits including better health and our plan for sport spells out our policies and strategy for increasing participation among all sectors of the community, particularly the young.
	The young and active report, published in 1998, brought together the views of experts and evidence on health and physical activity and put forward a policy framework on the promotion of physical activity for young people. The report outlined the following beneficial health outcomes of physical activity, including;
	Reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety
	Enhanced self-esteem
	Controls blood pressure
	Controls weight.
	The plan for sport sets out the steps which the Government are taking to enhance opportunities and increase participation at school, in the community and at the highest levels of performance. Overall, it offers a comprehensive package of improvements to the sporting experience in this country. This is being achieved through co-operation between all Government Departments and agencies involved with promoting physical activity and health. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working closely with the Department of Health and other Departments to develop a cross-government approach.
	Since lottery funding began, Sport England has allocated £1.25 billion to over 3,350 sports projects.
	In addition, major funding has been allocated to improving sports facilities and sporting provision throughout England. This includes:
	£581 million of new opportunities fund (NOF) money to build and refurbish PE and sports facilities in schools in every local education authority in England. These facilities will be available to the wider community.
	The spaces for sport and the arts project—a joint initiative between DCMS, DfES, Sport England, Arts Council of England and the new opportunities fund. £130 million has been allocated to 65 local education authorities to develop new sports and arts facilities on primary school sites which will also be available for community use, with the emphasis on inclusion of currently under-represented groups. Around 300 projects across England will be funded under the scheme.
	A further £50 million NOF money will be made available to develop and refurbish outdoor activity and adventure facilities across England as part of an integrated scheme to develop young people through outdoor activities.

Sports Action Zone (West Cumbria)

Jack Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made by the sports action zone in West Cumbria; what targets have been reached; what new investment has taken place; what the projects involved are; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: A needs assessment and action plan for the zone was approved by Sport England's lottery panel in October 2001. This provides the framework for action over the next five years and contains 28 tasks/projects to be delivered in year 1 which will improve health, education and employment prospects for communities in the districts of Allerdale, Barrow and Copeland.
	In addition sport action zone (SAZ) magnet funding of £99,313 has been awarded by Sport England to employ three "active living" posts in Barrow. These posts aim to promote and increase the amount of physical activity accessed by socially excluded groups and ensure that the community has a direct influence over the co-ordination and future planning of sport and activity in Barrow. They will work in partnership with Health Promotion in Barrow, Age Concern and the Barrow Sport Development team. The project will target groups such as young men, young women and middle aged to older adults, aiming to promote better health, preventive measures for chronic health conditions and reduce teenage pregnancies. Further partnership funding of £282,629 has been obtained to develop bids for the magnet fund. A further £282, 629 has been secured from funding organisations including: NW single regeneration budget; Youth Justice Board; Home Office; South Whitehaven single regeneration budget; neighbourhood renewal fund in Barrow; West Cumbria Council for Voluntary Service; sure start; youth works; Cumbria county council; health action zone; West Cumbria local health group; which has enabled an additional £136,813 to be accessed from the magnet fund.
	A sport for health manager has also been appointed for West Cumbria to promote the benefits of sport and physical activity on health to organisations such as local health groups and Age Concern. Projects that are being developed in partnership with health related organisations include promotion of the Walking for Health initiative to tourist boards, developing cardiac rehabilitation phase 4 centres and enhancing a GP referral scheme in Copeland.
	Other initiatives include the first rural youth works programme for 8 to 25-year-olds aimed at reducing crime in one of Copeland's worst affected areas, the development of a sport and physical activity directory for the zone, and the development of a programme of "speedway" taster sessions to encourage young people to have access to safe places to ride. A successful Home Office funded programme of summer activities for young people in Barrow took place this year involving partnership between Age Concern, the Barrow Youth Inclusion project and Barrow Amateur Swimming Club. A survey is currently taking place in Barrow to ascertain current sport/physical activity participation levels.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefits Agency

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on the services of each recruitment specialist engaged by the Benefits Agency in the last financial year.

Nick Brown: In the financial year 2000–01, the Benefits Agency spent a total of £34,962 on the services of one firm of recruitment specialists.

Benefits Agency

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many attacks on Benefits Agency staff have resulted in staff absence of (a) up to a week, (b) up to a month, (c) up to six months and (d) six months or more in each of the last five years.

Nick Brown: holding answer 12 November
	The information requested is held on individual staff records but is not collated centrally.

Appeals Service

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of cases dealt with by the appeals service had not been resolved after six months or more in each year since 1996–97.

Maria Eagle: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The appeals service is committed to a twin strategy of reducing waiting times and clearing the backlog of older cases that accrue. It has made a determined effort to tackle older cases based on its policy of "first in, first out". Wherever possible, cases are cleared at first hearing (current waiting times from receipt of the appeal in the appeal service to first hearing are 13.6 weeks).

Non-State Pensions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 19 July 2001, Official Report, column 414W, to the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field), how much was contributed to non-state pensions in each year between 1992 and 1998 adjusted in each case to 1997 price terms.

Ian McCartney: The figures for all years from 1992 are set out in the table. The figures show that there has been sustained growth in contributions to non-state pensions. The figures suggest that the stable economy has created the right conditions to save, and that our policies to encourage higher levels of private saving are having a positive effect.
	
		Contributions to non-state pensions
		
			 Year £ billion 
		
		
			 1992 37.0 
			 1993 41.0 
			 1994 37.0 
			 1995 38.0 
			 1996 44.0 
			 1997 50.0 
			 1998 60.0 
			 1999 65.0 
			 2000 69.0 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All figures rounded to nearest £ billion. Figures for 1999 and 2000 are included to illustrate the continuing trend in saving.
	2. These totals differ slightly in some years from figures previously released. This reflects differences in the methodology used.
	Source:
	MQ5 Survey, ONS, adjusted to 1997 prices

Capital Rules

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the level of the capital rules if they had been uprated in line with (a) prices and (b) earnings, since May 1997.

Ian McCartney: The estimated levels of the capital rules if they had been uprated in line with (a) prices and (b) earnings since 1997 are shown in the table. The lower capital limit for the minimum income guarantee was doubled from £3,000 to £6,000 in April 2001. The upper limit of £8,000 was increased to £12,000 at the same time.
	
		Actual capital limits -- £
		
			 Actual 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 IS/JSA/HB Lower Limit 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 
			 IS Upper Limit 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 
			 MIG Lower limits 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 6,000 
			 MIG Upper limit 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 12,000 
			 Social Fund (60 or over) 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 
			 Social Fund (under 60) 500 500 500 500 500 
			 HB/CTB upper limit 16,000 16,000 16,000 16,000 16,000 
		
	
	
		Rossi (equivalent price index used for benefit uprating) -- £
		
			 Rossi 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 MIG/IS/HB Lower limits 3,000 3,072 3,137 3,187 3,238 
			 MIG/IS Upper limit 8,000 8,192 8,364 8,498 8,634 
			 Social Fund (60 or over) 1,000 1,024 1,046 1,062 1,079 
			 Social Fund (under 60) 500 512 523 531 540 
			 HB/CTB upper limit 16,000 16,384 16,728 16,996 17,268 
		
	
	
		Average earnings -- £
		
			 Earnings 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 MIG/IS/HB Lower limits 3,000 3,120 3,298 3,450 3,584 
			 MIG/IS Upper limit 8,000 8,320 8,794 9,199 9,558 
			 Social Fund (60 or over) 1,000 1,040 1,099 1,150 1,195 
			 Social Fund (under 60) 500 520 550 575 597 
			 HB/CTB upper limit 16,000 16,640 17,588 18,398 19,115 
		
	
	Note:
	Social Fund Limits apply only to discretionary payments

Benefits Agency (Medical Services)

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 19 July 2001, Official Report, column 418W, on the Benefits Agency Medical Services, what contract targets have been laid down; and what his assessment is of the performance of SchlumbergerSema measured against these targets.

Nick Brown: The contract with SchlumbergerSema contains numerous targets relating to the volume, timeliness, and quality of medical reports; to customer service standards; and to training of doctors. The Government set four targets, relating to quality, training, and customer service, in their response [Cm 4780] to the Social Security Select Committee's report on medical services.
	SchlumbergerSema has restructured the management of medical services and performance against key targets is improving. Performance against all targets is kept under continual review.

Housing Benefit

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures he is implementing to provide Benefits Agency staff with training in issues relating to housing benefit; and how he intends to improve the recovery of overpayments of housing benefit.

Malcolm Wicks: All new operational staff working on income support or income-based jobseeker's allowance receive housing benefit awareness training.
	In June 2000, in order to promote improved benefit administration in local authorities, the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate produced a good practice guide, a copy of which was issued to each local authority. This is based on tried and tested practice in better-performing authorities. The guide includes a section on overpayment recovery, covering the prevention and identification of overpayments as well as options for recovery.
	In June 2001 we introduced streamlined procedures for local authorities to recover housing benefit overpayments from prescribed social security benefits administered by the Benefits Agency. These procedures apply in cases where housing benefit is no longer in payment. Local authorities have been given guidance about the types of cases they should refer and new simplified referral forms have been introduced.
	The new procedures ensure that both the Benefits Agency and local authorities are operating standard referral and recovery procedures. They also provide tighter control of the recovery process and are being actively monitored to ensure their effectiveness.

SEMA

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library the revised contract with SEMA.

Nick Brown: Such sections of the contract, which are not commercially sensitive, are available in the Library.
	Later revisions contain commercially sensitive information and are not published.

Consultation Documents

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many consultation documents were issued by his Department from (a) 15 October to 14 January, (b) 15 January to 14 April, (c) 15 April to 14 July and (d) 15 July to 14 October in each year from 1996.

Nick Brown: The available information is in the table.
	
		
			 Date Number of consultation documents issued 
		
		
			 15 January to 14 April 2000 1 
			 15 April to 14 July 2000 1 
			 15 July to 14 October 2000 4 
			 15 October 2000 to 14 January 2001 3 
			 15 January to 14 April 2001 1 
			 15 April to 14 July 2001 0 
			 15 July to 14 October 2001 8 
			 15 October 2001 to 14 January 2002(8) 2 
		
	
	(8) As at 22 November 2001
	Notes:
	1. The table includes consultation documents issued by the former Department of Social Security and the former Department for Education and Employment
	2. Further information on these consultation documents can be found at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/index.htm
	Information on consultation documents issued by the former Department of Social Security from 1996 to August 2000, and by the former Department for Education and Employment from 1996 to July 1997, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Welfare Reform

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the reports the Government have published since 1997 evaluating the effectiveness of the welfare reform programme.

Nick Brown: The information has been placed in the Library.

Invalid Care Allowance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of abolishing the overlapping benefits rule for those over pension age in the case of invalid care allowance.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Regent's Park and Kensington, North (Ms Buck) on 14 March 2001, Official Report, column 607W.

Invalid Care Allowance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost, net of savings on means-tested benefits, of increasing the rate of invalid care allowance to the level of the basic state pension.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb) on 13 July 2001, Official Report, column 691W.

Expenditure (Initiatives)

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list for (a) sure start and (b) employment zones (i) the amount budgeted and (ii) the total expended in each financial year for the planned lifetime of each initiative.

Nick Brown: The information on budgets and expenditure on sure start and employment zones was published in the Department for Education and Employment departmental report 2001–02 to 2003–04. A copy of this is in the Library. Sure start is now the responsibility of the Department for Education and Skills.

New Deal

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on (a) the number of participants in the new deal for young people from the Wycombe constituency in the last 12 months, (b) the destinations of people leaving the scheme and (c) the cost involved.

Nick Brown: The information as is available is in the tables. Estimates of the cost of the programme are not available at constituency level.
	
		New deal for young people participants in the Wycombe constituency
		
			 Month Number 
		
		
			 August 2000 113 
			 September 2000 100 
			 October 2000 93 
			 November 2000 85 
			 December 2000 88 
			 January 2001 89 
			 February 2001 81 
			 March 2001 72 
			 April 2001 68 
			 May 2001 72 
			 June 2001 69 
			 July 2001 67 
			 August 2001 70 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are for the end of each month and are the latest available
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database
	
		Destination on leaving the new deal for young people
		
			  Number of clients 
		
		
			 Unsubsidised employment 201 
			 Other Benefits 48 
			 Other known destinations 88 
			 Not known 185 
			  
			 Total leavers 522 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are cumulative to the end of August 2001
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database

New Deal

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have entered the new deal gateway (a) once, (b) twice and (c) three times or more in east Devon in respect of the (i) new deal for young people, (ii) new deal for 25-plus, (iii) new deal for 50-plus and (iv) new deal for lone parents.

Nick Brown: For new deal for young People, there have been 368 starts on the programme in the East Devon constituency to the end of August 2001. Of these, 20 young people have entered twice and three young people have entered three or more times.
	For new deal for 25-plus, there have been 85 starts on the programme in the East Devon constituency to the end of August 2001. Of these, four people have entered twice and one person has entered three or more times.
	The new deal for lone parents and new deal for 50-plus do not have gateways.
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database

New Deal

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people on the new deal for young people in east Devon joined (a) the subsidised employment option, (b) the environmental task force option, (c) the voluntary sector option and (d) the full-time education or training option in each year since its inception.

Nick Brown: The information is in the table.
	
		Number of young people starting NDYP options in East Devon
		
			 Year Subsidised employment Environment task force Voluntary sector Full-time education and training 
		
		
			 1998 9 3 4 12 
			 1999 12 8 10 24 
			 2000 10 8 8 9 
			 2001(9) 5 2 1 3 
			  
			 Total 36 21 23 48 
		
	
	(9) To end August
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database

Winter Fuel Allowance

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the case to extend winter fuel allowance to those under pensionable age in receipt of (a) the medium or higher rate care component and (b) the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance.

Ian McCartney: Disability benefits are already available to people with disabilities in recognition of their extra costs. The care and mobility components in disability living allowance are used as broad indicators of all the extra costs a disabled person has. These could include heating, laundry or special diets. There are no plans to extend the winter fuel payment scheme to people under 60 years of age.

Hearing Aids

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) deaf and (b) hard of hearing people who have received funding for digital hearing aids under the access to work scheme; and what is the average cost of each digital hearing aid that has been purchased;
	(2)  what cost-benefit evaluation his Department has made of the job retention benefits that would arise from (a) shorter waiting times for NHS hearing tests and the fitting of hearing aids, (b) higher quality hearing aids and (c) a reduction in the number of people who would benefit from wearing a hearing aid who do not have one.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 16 November 2001
	The access to work programme provides practical advice and support to overcome work-related obstacles resulting from disability. Through access to work a grant can be provided towards any additional employment costs resulting from disability.
	Access to work provides funding towards the purchase of digital hearing aids where there is a work-related need for them. The number of applications or expenditure in relation to any specific aid or piece of equipment is not monitored. It is therefore not possible to provide estimates of the numbers helped by, or the average cost to access to work of digital hearing aids.
	The Department has not conducted a cost-benefit evaluation of job retention benefits in relation to the provision of hearing aids.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Police Numbers (South Tyneside)

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were in south Tyneside on 1 May (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001; and what the projected figures are for 1 May (i) 2002, and (i) 2003.

John Denham: The information requested has been provided by the chief constable of Northumbria and is set out in the table.
	
		South Tyneside Area Command
		
			 Year Actual officers in post 
		
		
			 1 May 1999 246 
			 1 May 2000 244 
			 1 May 2001 257 
		
	
	The force is unable to provide projected figures for south Tyneside for 2002 and 03.
	On 31 August this year, Northumbria police as a whole had 3,908 officers (full-time equivalent), 51 more than in March. The force has a budgeted work force target of 4,000 officers for 31 March 2002. Northumbria police also had 1,416 civilian staff in March 2001, 51 more than in March 1997.

Salha Idris

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the links between Mr. Salha Idris and security firms providing equipment to Government sites.

John Denham: holding answer 8 November 2001
	I refer to the reply given in the other place by the Chairman of Committees, Lord Boston of Faversham, on 9 October 2000, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA1, and the Lord Chancellor's reply on 3 May 2001, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA296. The position remains unchanged.
	It is vital that a high standard of security is maintained at Government premises. Protective security arrangements are of course the responsibility of the Secretary of State in each respective Government Department. They will, with the support of the police and security service, ensure that this is done.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Home Secretary on 1 November 2001, Official Report, column 847W.

Translation Services

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what translation services he ensures are available to (a) prisons and (b) probation services in (i) England and (ii) Staffordshire; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the translation facilities available to the police.

Beverley Hughes: The Prison Service race relations policy highlights the importance of prisons being aware of the needs of non-English speaking prisoners. To assist in meeting those needs, all prisons were issued with copies of the prisoner information books (Male Prisoners and Young Offenders, Women Prisoners and Female Young Offenders, Visiting and Keeping in Touch and Life Sentenced Prisoners "Lifers"). The books were issued in partnership with the Prison Reform Trust and are available in 21 languages (including English). Updated versions are currently being considered.
	The appropriate translation services required for necessary communication with non-English-speaking prisoners is the responsibility of individual establishments. Each establishment has differing demands and needs for such services and establishments are advised to draw up and maintain details of local arrangements. The services are paid for locally.
	Following negotiations with the Immigration Service, all prison establishments have access to the register of interpreters. Several of these interpreters also provide translation services. The Immigration Service also has a contract with K International which the Prison Service may approach for written translations. There is a National Register of Public Service Interpreters, which maintains a consistent and adequate standard.
	Public documents produced by the National Probation Service (NPS) are translated into Welsh, and other languages as considered necessary. Some core materials (such as leaflets for offenders) are translated into the six languages where demand is greatest (Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Punjabi, Spanish and Welsh). Design, print and translation services for the NPS headquarters are provided via the Home Office Communication Directorate (under contract with K International). Translation services for the operational needs of the Staffordshire area of the NPS come from established local suppliers and are paid for locally.
	Police
	There has not been any assessment made of the adequacy of the translation facilities available to the police. The requirement of providing translation services is a matter for individual forces in line with guidance issued under Code of Practice C of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.

Drugs

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reported cases of the use of illegal drugs there were in prisons in England and Wales in 2000.

Beverley Hughes: Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2000, 89,784 mandatory drug tests were conducted on prisoners, of which 17,415 tested positive for drugs. The figures include some prisoners who will have been tested more than once.

Recidivism (Buckinghamshire)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on recidivism rates for prisoners released from (a) HMP Grendon and (b) HMP Springhill in the Buckingham constituency in the last year for which figures are available; and how they compare with similar prisons.

Beverley Hughes: Grendon and Springhill prisons are co-located and Home Office reconviction rates for the two establishments are not recorded separately.
	The latest two-year reconviction rates for prisoners discharged from custody cover the calendar year 1997. The two-year reconviction rate for prisoners discharged from Grendon and Springhill prisons was 29 per cent. This compares with a predicted reconviction rate, based on factors which take account of the previous criminal history, age distribution, and offence of the prisoners discharged, of 32 per cent. For all prisoners, the two-year reconviction rate was 58 per cent.
	The findings from a seven-year reconviction study of prisoners who went to Grendon prison for therapy in the years 1984 to 1989 revealed that prisoners treated there had lower reconviction rates than had been expected had they not gone to Grendon. Further details of this research are contained in Home Office Research Findings Number 115, a copy of which is available in the Library.

Kainos

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on Christian Kainos wings in HM Prisons.

Beverley Hughes: In May 1999, the trustees of the Christian organisation, Kainos, sought the Prison Service's agreement to its continuing the operation of Kainos communities in the wings of four prisons. This followed financial and other difficulties with a predecessor organisation, Kairos-Apac. The Prison Service management board agreed in September 1999 that these communities should be permitted to continue, without any commitment of public funds and for a limited period, while they were evaluated for their impact, and in particular their claim to contribute to reducing reoffending. The evaluation was to be done by independent researchers and paid for by Kainos. The board would reach a decision on the future of the programme in the light of the evaluation.
	The independent evaluation was completed in September 2001. The Kainos trustees provided the board with a copy of the evaluation report and asked the board to take an early decision on the future of the programme because Kainos' own funding for the programme ceased at the end of 2001.
	Among other matters, the evaluation examined the one year reconviction rates of prisoners who had been through the Kainos programme and a comparison group of nearly 14,000 prisoners with similar sentence lengths and from similar prisons. The evaluation report found that there was no basis for concluding that Kainos community prisoners have reconviction rates that are significantly lower than would be expected for similar released prisoners as a whole. This contrasts with other Prison Service programmes designed to reduce reoffending which typically show reductions of 10 per cent. in future reoffending against expected rates.
	In the light of this finding, the board decided that the Kainos community should no longer continue to operate in prisons when its present programmes came to an end. The board also had concerns about exposing prisoners to intensive religiously based interventions in prison by any faith group. The board has made it clear that it respects the commitment of the Kainos trustees, and of the staff and volunteers who gave their time to the programmes, but it is determined that effort and scarce resources in prisons are devoted only to offender treatment programmes which can demonstrate their effectiveness, and which contribute to the Government's crime reduction agenda.
	The evaluation report remains the property of the Kainos trustees. Kainos has given permission for the executive summary to be placed on the Home Office website and this is being done. I am also placing a copy in the Library.

Asylum Seekers

Richard Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research is being undertaken into the compatibility of the proposed system of smart cards for asylum seekers with other smart card systems being developed in (a) the UK and (b) the EU.

Angela Eagle: The application registration cards will be compatible with standard readers and the micro-chip that will be used will be a standard serial chip.

Heroin

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people have been jailed for possession of heroin in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many people have been jailed for supplying heroin in each of the last five years, where the sentence has been less than five years.

Beverley Hughes: Information readily available on the number of persons sentenced by the courts in England and Wales to immediate custody for offences of (a) possessing and (b) supplying heroin for the period 1995–99 are given in table 1. This is the latest five-year period for which data are currently available. The numbers are broken down by sentence length.
	
		Table 1. Number of persons sentenced by courts in England and Wales to immediate custody for offences of (a) possessing and (b) supplying heroin, by sentencing, 1995–99
		
			 Length of sentence 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 
		
		
			 Possession  
			 Up to and including one month 147 240 335 434 509 
			 Over one month up to three months 127 252 344 561 589 
			 Over three months up to six months 113 187 266 347 383 
			 Over six months up to one year 61 89 135 194 173 
			 Over one year up to two years 19 21 29 39 45 
			 Over two years up to five years 16 25 25 39 31 
			 Sub-total—up to five years 483 814 1,134 1,614 1,730 
			 Over five years up to seven years 3 1 2 3 2 
			 Over seven years 0 0 0 0 0 
			  
			 Total 486 815 1,136 1,617 1,732 
			   
			 Supply  
			 Up to and including one month 4 2 3 2 1 
			 Over one month up to three months 8 16 14 15 14 
			 Over three months up to six months 13 17 39 39 59 
			 Over six months up to one year 25 65 75 107 127 
			 Over one year up to two years 73 95 208 371 406 
			 Over two years up to five years 224 327 722 980 1,427 
			 Sub-total—up to five years 347 522 1,061 1,514 2,034 
			 Over five years up to seven years 29 66 143 107 123 
			 Over seven years 9 21 33 34 45 
			  
			 Total 385 609 1,237 1,655 2,202 
		
	
	Source:
	Home Office Drugs and Alcohol Research Unit

Cyclists

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give guidance to police forces that they should give greater priority to penalising cyclists riding on pavements.

John Denham: The enforcement of cycling offences is an operational matter for individual chief officers of police. They are best placed to assess the nature and cause of specific local problems and to determine how most effectively to address them.
	Cycling on the pavement was made a fixed-penalty offence from 1 August 1999. This gives the police a direct and simple way of dealing with cyclists who use the pavement without proper consideration for others. During the five months to 31 December 1999, the police in England and Wales issued 570 fixed-penalty notices for the offence, 18 in Merseyside.
	The cycling infrastructure and environment are currently under improvement as a result of the Government's national cycling strategy. We expect this to reduce the perceived need on the part of some to cycle on the pavement through a fear of cycling on the road.

Cyclists

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce proposals to increase the level of fines imposed on law-breaking cyclists.

John Denham: I have no such plans. The current maximum penalty for dangerous cycling is a fine not exceeding £2,500. The maximum penalty for careless and inconsiderate cycling, and for cycling when unfit through drink or drugs, is a fine not exceeding £1,000. Unauthorised or irregular cycle racing or trials of speed on public ways is also an offence and carries a maximum penalty of £200. We believe that these penalties are sufficient and reflect the seriousness of the offences.

Aylesbury Young Offenders Institution

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects work on C wing, Aylesbury young offenders institution to be completed.

Beverley Hughes: This work was unfortunately interrupted following the bankruptcy of the first contractor. Work restarted in August this year and is expected to be completed in May 2002.

CCTV

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received with regard to applications for CCTV in locations where property crime and drug offences are closely connected with street prostitution.

John Denham: holding answer 19 November 2001
	The information is not available in the format requested. However, under round 1 of the crime reduction programme closed circuit television (CCTV) initiative the Home Office has funded 120 CCTV schemes to combat property crime and/or drug offences. Crime reduction figures for these schemes, provided by crime and disorder reduction partnerships, estimate a reduction of 8,819 recorded burglaries and 1,914 recorded drugs offences over three years following their installation. It is not possible to say how many of these crimes might be linked with prostitution.
	The communities against drugs and reducing prostitution initiatives also work to combat property crime, drugs and prostitution. Under these initiatives funding can be used to install CCTV systems as well as other crime reduction measures.

Special Constabulary

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what plans he has to reappraise the role of the Special Constabulary; and how many special constables there are in Cleveland;
	(2)  what plans he has to enable members of the Special Constabulary to receive increased remuneration.

John Denham: holding answer 20 November 2001
	The number of serving special constables in Cleveland police as at 31 March 2001 was 93.
	The Government are committed to increasing the special constabulary. While voluntary service to the community is a key element of the special constabulary, we are currently reviewing, as part of the police reform process, the allowances paid to special constables.
	We are also considering a number of other options for achieving radical improvements in the conditions of service and the management of special constables, to ensure that specials are deployed effectively and provide an increased visible presence in our communities.

Warden Force

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what plans he has to increase the powers conferred upon the warden force; and how these plans have changed since 11 September;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the relationship between wardens and the regular constabulary.

John Denham: holding answer 20 November 2001
	My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary made it clear in his speech to the Superintendents' Association on 11 September that we are considering how to make better use of the extended police family (including neighbourhood and street wardens) in support of the police; and whether new powers would be needed.
	We are developing proposals in the context of the police reform programme and details will be set out in the forthcoming White Paper.

Suspicious Activity Reports

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 19 October 2001, Official Report, column 1398W, on suspicious activity reports, how many of the reports from the gambling industry were from (a) spread betting organisations and (b) other gambling businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The data held by the National Criminal Intelligence Service do not differentiate between spread betting organisations and other bookmakers. In 2000, there were 16 suspicious activity reports from the bookmaking industry and 301 such reports from the gaming industry.

Police Complaints

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the pilot schemes for the new complaints system are expected to report their progress; and whether the four schemes are identical.

John Denham: holding answer 22 November 2001
	The Police Complaints Authority is co-ordinating four research projects that will provide useful information on aspects of the new police complaints system. They will look at independent investigations, the right of appeal against a refusal by the police to record a complaint, the duty of the chief officer to provide the complainant with the outcome of an investigation and the presentation of cases to misconduct hearings by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. These are not formal pilots as they must operate within the current legislation and therefore are not able completely to replicate the provision proposed for the new system. The evaluation reports of each will be produced at different times but initial feedback is expected next spring.

Police Complaints

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role civilian investigators will have in the proposed independent police complaints system.

John Denham: holding answer 22 November 2001
	As part of the new police complaints system, the Independent Police Complaints Commission will have a body of independent investigators at their disposal. These investigators will be made up of a mix of civilian investigators and seconded police officers. The commission will use these investigators in examining the most serious instances of alleged police misconduct.

Police Complaints

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in the creation of a independent police complaints system.

John Denham: holding answer 22 November 2001
	The Government will bring forward provisions to establish a new police complaints system to replace the current system as part of the Police Bill which is due for introduction later in this parliamentary Session. The new system will create a new body, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which will replace the Police Complaints Authority.

Suspects (Mental Illness)

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training is given for police officers to deal with suspects who suffer from mental illness.

John Denham: holding answer 22 November 2001
	The basic training that all new recruits receive includes an element that raises awareness of mental illness and highlights the importance of communicating effectively and sensitively with people suffering from a mental disorder. Individual forces also provide further training for their officers on these issues. Details are not held centrally of all such local provision.
	More needs to be done to ensure an appropriate and properly informed police response to mentally ill individuals across the whole range of circumstances in which they deal with them. There are currently several strands of work focused on improving police practice in relation to suspects who suffer from mental illness. The Home Office, the Department of Health and the Association of Chief Police Officers are considering the development of national protocols covering the interaction between the police and health services in dealing with the mentally ill. The current review of the police codes of practice under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 is seeking to strengthen further protections for mentally ill detainees, particularly in terms of assessing their vulnerabilities and fitness for interview. In addition, the review of the Mental Health Act which is under way is looking to increase the emphasis on using hospitals rather than police stations as places of safety for assessing mental condition.

LORD CHANCELLOR

Cycle Loans

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the cost in 2001–02 is of her Department's (a) interest-free loans for cycles and cycling equipment and (b) cycle mileage rates.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has, so far this financial year, paid a total of £1,132.50 to six members of staff in respect of cycle loans. The pedal cycle allowance in the Lord Chancellor's Department (including the Court Service and the Public Guardianship Office) is currently 12p per mile.

Touch Screen Kiosk Service

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the cost in 2001–02 is of the touch screen kiosk service to be implemented in Shropshire.

Michael Wills: The kiosk in Telford, Shropshire—which provides information about the Court Service—is a partnership venture between the courts, the local council, the library and the university of Wolverhampton. The equipment is provided by the council's IT supplier and the content supplied by the Court Service's in-house web publishing team. There is therefore no additional cost to the Court Service.

E-mails

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the cost in 2001–02 is of the facility which enables e-mail applications to be made to Preston county court.

Michael Wills: The cost of the Preston e-mail application service in 2001–02 is nominal as the initial outlay for equipment and installation was met in 2000–01. In 2000–01 the costs were £72,495, of which £65,243 were the costs of the computers and the e-mail connection; the balance related to various project related costs.
	The on-going running costs of this project include line charges for the e-mail modem, and staff and project management costs which are included in the court's overall running costs. The e-mail service allows the court to process applications by solicitors more efficiently than the paper based service, and therefore is delivering some efficiency savings, although these have yet to be quantified.

Video Conferencing

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the cost is in 2001–02 of the video conferencing project linking the Royal Courts of Justice with (a) Leeds Combined Court Centre and (b) Cardiff county court.

Michael Wills: The cost of the project in 2001–02 of the video conferencing project linking the Royal Courts of Justice with Leeds Combined Court Centre and Cardiff county court is nominal, as the initial outlay for equipment and installation was met in 2000. The cost of line rental for ISDN lines for the three sites is £3,700 annually. The call costs are met by the party who requested the conference.

Online Claims Issues

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the cost in 2001–02 of the pilot scheme is for the online issue of claims.

Michael Wills: The pilot project Money Claims Online is part of the Court Service's wider Courts and Tribunals Modernisation Programme. The one-off project costs are:
	£1,841,000 for design and development;
	£206,170 for project costs
	making a total of £2,047,170.
	A yearly service charge of £885,000, will also apply.
	The project has been delivered by the Court Service's existing PFI supplier, EDS Ltd., and links into existing systems for case management and document production at the Court Service's Bulk Centre in Northampton. Operational staffing costs to support the pilot project are approximately £48,000.
	Electronic issue of claims (by computer media exchange) has functioned at the Bulk Centre for some years, with considerable efficiency gains for the Court Service. This pilot project aims to widen the scope for inclusion to all claims issuers. It will also contribute to the Government's plan for all services to be available electronically by 2005.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on progress in meeting the Public Service Agreement target for 2002 for the proportion of service delivery transactions provided to the public electronically.

Michael Wills: The Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) in 1998 required the Lord Chancellor to set a target by 31 March 1999 for an increase in the proportion of service delivery transactions provided to the public electronically. We published our initial e-business strategy in November 2000 and set an annual target that was the equivalent to the government-wide target for electronic service delivery at that time. The CSR target was that 25 per cent. of service delivery transactions should be capable of being delivered electronically by 2002.
	After the conclusion of Spending Review 2000, the original electronic delivery target was updated and published in July 2000 as part of the LCD Service Delivery Agreement (SDA), containing specific Electronic Government SDA targets.
	The departmental e-business strategy was updated this summer. We have a full programme of e-business projects for achieving the government's target that by 2005 all appropriate services should be available electronically. Our programme envisages that around 50 per cent. of services will be available electronically by 2002 and currently we are on course to achieve that.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on progress in achieving the Land Registry's Public Service Agreement target of a 6 per cent. return on capital employed.

Michael Wills: The Land Registry is a separate Government Department that became an executive agency in 1990. On 1 April 1993, it achieved trading fund status.
	The Land Registry's key financial performance target since becoming a trading fund has been to achieve a ministerially agreed percentage return on average capital employed in each financial year. Since 1999–2000, that target has been set at 6 per cent. and in 1999–2000 the Department achieved 12 per cent.
	The Land Registry expects to meet the annual 6 per cent. target for 2001–02.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the Public Service Agreement target was in 2000–01 for the number of lay magistrates (a) appointed and (b) recommended for appointment against estimated need; and if it was met.

Michael Wills: There is no public service agreement target on judicial appointments. However, there is a service delivery objective of ensuring that 95 per cent. of the target number of lay magistrates are in post by 2003. The national strategy for the recruitment of lay magistrates should help to achieve that objective.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will make a statement on progress towards meeting the Public Service Agreement target for the improvement of the rights of dependants by 31 March 2002.

Rosie Winterton: An interdepartmental working group identified four possible measures to go into a basket of indicators on which targets were to be set by 31 March 2001. The measures proposed for the basket were:
	the number of prisons which, in accordance with Prison Service standard audit requirements, have sufficient staff to ensure that all prisoners receive information about legal aid on reception and know who can assist them with legal aid applications.;
	ensure that by 31 March 2002 a percentage of people in police stations requesting the service of a duty solicitor receive the service within a specified time;
	The number of substantial complaints under the Police Act 1996 per [1,000] people detained (BVPI 140); and
	The incidence and nature of successful challenges under Articles 5 and 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998 in respect of criminal cases.
	Two targets were set:
	98 per cent. of prisons to have sufficient staff to ensure that all prisoners receive information about legal services on reception and know who can assist with their applications for public funding; and
	90 per cent. of people in police stations requesting the services of a duty solicitor receive the service within 45 minutes.
	It was not possible to set meaningful targets for the other two measures. There was insufficient data available to set a target on the Human Rights Act; and there have been difficulties in setting an overall national target for the police complaints measure due to inconsistent targets set at local level.
	The Prison Service target has already been met, achieving 98 per cent. The data for the Duty Solicitor target from the Legal Services Commission will not become available until soon after 31 March 2002, so there will be a short delay in reporting on that target.
	The Working Group is currently seeking to identify other measures to go into the basket of indicators.

Asset Sales

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will provide a detailed breakdown of the accruals to public funds in (a) 1999–2000 and (b) 2000–01 from the sale of fixed assets.

Rosie Winterton: The Lord Chancellor's Department 1999–2000 resource accounts record a loss on disposal of fixed assets of £473,000. The draft 2000–01 resource accounts show a profit on disposal of £398,000. The 2000–01 accounts are still subject to audit. Details of the assets held by the Department, its agencies and associate public bodies, including significant recent disposals and future disposals strategy, can be found in the National Asset Register published by HM Treasury.

Community Legal Service

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many people have accessed the Community Legal Service website since its creation; and on what issues people most frequently seek advice.

Rosie Winterton: There have been over 700,000 "page impressions"—the closest proxy for number of users—of the Community Legal Service website, Just Ask!, since its launch in April 2000. Usage of the site has doubled from a weekly average "page impression" rate of 6,000 at inception to over 12,000 at present.
	Issues that people have most frequently sought advice on are employment, family matters, housing, consumer affairs, and immigration.

Freedom of Information

Tony Wright: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what representations he has received from the Information Commissioner on a recommended timetable for implementing the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Michael Wills: My noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor invited the Information Commissioner to express her views on a timetable for the implementation of the Act, based on the practical implications for her office. She said that it would be sensible to implement the publication scheme and right of access provisions together on a phased timetable, largely following the structure of Schedule 1 to the Act. She also made it clear that it was for Government to decide on a timetable for implementation.
	The Government reached the view that it was right to implement the publication scheme provisions of the Act first as set out in the Schedule I have placed in the Library of the House.
	The Information Commissioner has welcomed the announcement of a firm timetable for the implementation of the Act.

Libra Project

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 7521W, on the Libra project, how many MCCs with office automation have retained separate stand-alone terminals to provide access to the legacy systems.

Michael Wills: All MCCs in receipt of the Libra Office Automation service have retained one or more stand- alone terminals.

Libra Project

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 564W, on the Libra project, if stand-alone terminals will be retained for access for specific local systems where that access was not available on the legacy network, and is not currently available on Libra service.

Michael Wills: In all of the Magistrates' Court Committees in receipt of the Libra Office Automation service, access to the main legacy system is achieved, for almost all staff, via the Libra terminal on their desks. In some cases separate stand-alone terminals have been retained to provide access for specific local systems where that access was not available on the legacy network, and is not currently available on the Libra service. This mixture of access is replicated in all MCCs. It is envisaged that the need for access to systems via stand-alone terminals will progressively diminish during the planned transition to the full new Libra service.

Selim Ferhan Onal

Angus Robertson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when she expects her adjudicators to decide on the appeal for entry clearance by Selim Ferhan Onal.

Rosie Winterton: The Immigration Appellate Authority has no record of receiving an appeal from the Home Office for Selim Ferhan Onal.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Climate Change Levy

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in what circumstances a butcher's shop could be liable for payments under the climate change levy.

Brian Wilson: The climate change levy aims to increase energy efficiency across all sectors of business, including small food retailers, and will help the UK to meet its commitments to reduce greenhouse emissions, including our Kyoto target. Those small businesses, including butchers' shops, which have very low energy consumption below the minimum thresholds as defined in the Finance Act 2000 are not liable to pay the climate change levy.
	Businesses with energy use higher than the thresholds will be liable to pay the levy. However any such businesses can minimise their levy bills by buying levy-exempt, green electricity, for example from new renewable sources; by taking advantage of energy efficiency advice and support from the new Carbon Trust, which aims to take account of the needs of small businesses; or by investing, using the new scheme of enhanced capital allowances for energy efficiency improvements (which covers items including refrigeration equipment).

Small Businesses (Chorley)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much funding has been made available to start small businesses in Chorley in each of the last five years.

Nigel Griffiths: £100,000 has been made available to start small businesses in Chorley in the last five years, £20,000 per year.

Languages for Exports Awards

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many entrants there were in the 2001 competition for Languages for Exports Awards, broken down by (a) nation and (b) region.

Nigel Griffiths: Applications received for this year's competition are as follows:
	
		
			 Regions Applications received 
		
		
			 English:  
			 East 12 
			 East Midlands 14 
			 London and South East 41 
			 North East 17 
			 North West 11 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 10 
			 West Midlands 15 
			 South West 8 
			 Scotland 11 
			 Wales 10 
			 Northern Ireland 9 
			  
			 Total 158

Scottish Trade Delegations

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for how many trade delegations from Scotland to (a) the Czech Republic, (b) Poland, (c) Hungary, (d) Slovenia, (e) Estonia, (f) Lithuania, (g) Latvia and (h) Slovakia her Department provided support in (i) 2000 and (ii) 2001 to date.

Nigel Griffiths: I am replying on the basis of information provided by Scottish Development International, a joint venture between the Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise.
	Trade Partners UK services in Scotland are delivered by the Trade Division of Scottish Development International. It, along with other members of the export support network in Scotland, organises overseas trade missions.
	In June 2000 there was one trade mission to Hungary and Slovenia led jointly by Export Partnership Forth Valley and Lanarkshire Export Partnership. In 2001 to date there have been two visits to Poland, one in April led by Export Partnership Forth Valley and a sector based mission in June concentrating on food and drink led jointly by Scottish Development International and the Seafood Industry Authority. A visit to Estonia took place in September supported by Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Exports followed by a further mission to Slovenia in October led by Lanarkshire Export Partnership.
	In addition, a delegation of Scottish business people interested in developing links with the Czech Republic accompanied the Scottish Minister for Finance during his visit there this September when he formally launched the second twinning covenant for Preparation for Structural Funds.
	Companies based in Scotland are also able to take part in any other UK supported trade missions.

Fur Imports

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what quantities of material classified as other fur were imported into the UK from (a) China, (b) the Philippines, (c) Korea and (d) Hong Kong in the last five years.

Nigel Griffiths: Information on UK imports of "other fur" from China, the Philippines, Korea and Hong Kong in each of the last five years is given in the table:
	
		UK imports of "other fur"(10) from China, Philippines, Korea and Hong Kong -- Weight—kilograms
		
			 Year  China Philippines South Korea Hong Kong 
		
		
			 1996 13,666 0 812 7,727 
			 1997 3,348 0 1,560 12,871 
			 1998 1,776 0 0 3,808 
			 1999 4,010 0 411 5,240 
			 2000 11,785 0 0 10,063 
		
	
	(10) "Other fur" is defined as headings 212.29 and 613.19 of the Standard International Trade Classification, Revision 3 (SITC Rev. 3)
	Definitions:
	SITC 212.29 Other furskins (raw), whole, with or without head, tail or paws
	SITC 613.19 Other furskins (tanned or dressed), whole, with or without head tail or paws, not assembled
	Source:
	DTI analysis of data from HM Customs and Excise

Fur Imports

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average value is of material classified as (a) other fur and (b) all fur imported into the UK from (i) all countries and (ii) China in the last three years.

Nigel Griffiths: Information on the average value of UK imports of "other fur" and all fur from all countries and China in each of the last three years is given in the table.
	
		Average value of UK imports of "other fur"(11) and all fur(12) from all countries and China -- £ per kilogram
		
			  All countries China 
		
		
			 UK imports of "other fur"   
			 1998 29 76 
			 1999 19 36 
			 2000 14 69 
			
			 UK imports of all fur   
			 1998 77 79 
			 1999 42 51 
			 2000 38 60 
		
	
	(11) "Other fur" is defined as headings 212.29 and 613.19 of the Standard International Trade Classification, Revision 3 (SITC Rev 3).
	(12) All fur is defined as headings 212 and 613 of the Standard International Trade Classification, Revision 3 (SITC Rev 3).
	Definitions:
	1. SITC 212 Furskins, raw (including heads, tails, paws and other pieces or cuttings, suitable for furriers' use), other than hides and skins of group 211.
	2. SITC 613 Furskins, tanned or dressed (including heads, tails, paws and other pieces or cuttings), unassembled, or assembled (without the addition of other materials), other than those of heading 848.3.
	3. SITC 212.29 Other furskins (raw), whole, with or without head, talk or paws.
	4. SITC 613.19 Other furskins (tanned or dressed), whole, with or without head tail or paws, not assembled.
	Source:
	DTI analysis of data from H. M. Customs and Excise

Fur Imports

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what quantities of fur have been imported into the United Kingdom as parts of made-up garments for the last five years; and if she will list (a) the exporting countries involved and (b) the type of fur involved.

Nigel Griffiths: Information on UK imports of made- up garments containing fur in each of the last five years is given in the following table:
	
		UK imports of made-up garments containing fur 1996–2000 -- Weight (kilograms)
		
			Commodity 43031010  Commodity 43031090  Commodity 43039000  
			 Country 1998 1999 2000 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 Abu Dhabi — — — 35 — — — — 25 12 — — — 
			 Argentina — — — 2,977 — — — — 308 467 145 — — 
			 Australia — — — — — — — — — — 305 638 — 
			 Austria — — — — 60 — 1 63 20,277 — — — — 
			 Belgium — — — — — — — 3 — — — 15 2,524 
			 Belgium-Luxembourg — — — — 80 — — — 16 33 110 — — 
			 Brazil — — — — — — — — — 480 — — 2,099 
			 Bulgaria — — — — — — — — 9 21 — — — 
			 Burma — — — — — — — — — 10,500 — — — 
			 Cameroon — — — — — — — — 10 — — — — 
			 Canada — — — 76 2 — 7 — 2 55 10 12 6 
			 Chile — — — 250 — — — — — — — 265 — 
			 China — — — 963 2,300 4,130 75 95 12,349 10,798 11,323 9,058 7,268 
			 Cyprus — — — 4 — — — — — — — — — 
			 Czech Republic — — — — — — — — — — — 21 — 
			 Denmark — — — — 3 102 296 535 31 25 — — — 
			 Ecuador — — — — — — — — — 0 40 — 527 
			 Ethiopia — — — — — — 934 1,365 — — — — — 
			 Finland — — — — 4 5,101 117 1,484 — — — — — 
			 France 12 — — 270 399 350 92 866 257 21,955 4,406 56 384 
			 Germany 62 10 — 1,474 2,723 3,735 2,010 3,763 16,776 44,568 5,769 19,606 31,565 
			 Greece — — — — — 1 — — — — — — — 
			 Hong Kong — — 4,884 576 2,642 8,672 5,665 3,732 9,009 7,059 6,976 4,429 — 
			 Hungary — — 230 — — — — — — 47 — 317 — 
			 India — — — 250 — — — 150 513 — 175 467 — 
			 Indonesia — — — — — — — 210 1,127 — — — — 
			 Irish Republic — — 6 11 16 6 — — — 14 5 — — 
			 Italy 14 10 346 5,091 2,002 2,488 7,521 177 1,716 242 721 67,585 — 
			 Japan — — 1,026 — — 56 — 0 20 34 10 112 — 
			 Lebanon — — — — — — — — — — — 362 — 
			 Lithuania — — — — 2,759 — 49 — — 365 3,363 1,040 — 
			 Luxembourg — — — — — 6 — — — — — — — 
			 Malta — — 205 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Morocco — — — — — — — — — — — 20 — 
			 Netherlands — 1 101 403 42 343 269 632 17,725 54 409 329 — 
			 New Zealand — — — — — — 90 51 — — 485 8,054 — 
			 Norway — — — — — — — — 17 — — 240 — 
			 Pakistan — — — — — — 814 0 400 — 340 — — 
			 Peru — — — — — — — 27 0 599 1,368 696 — 
			 Philippines — — — — — — — 4,231 4,202 13,508 4,449 1,608 — 
			 Poland — — — — — — — 39 — — — — — 
			 Portugal — — — 192 — 1 — 30 55 26 — — — 
			 Romania — — — — — 474 609 — — — — — — 
			 Russia — — — — 167 183 6,106 161 — — — — — 
			 San Marino — — — 35 — — 68 — — — 1,285 — — 
			 South Africa — — — — — — — — — — — 900 — 
			 South Korea — — 3,215 100 40,300 — 236 9,554 11,464 8,496 265 2,137 — 
			 Spain — — 1,191 658 992 648 393 1213 5,113 2,161 6,929 3,120 — 
			 Sweden — — — — — 4,248 1 1 17,205 120 — — 525 
			 Switzerland — — — 42 13 90 29 133 58 516 102 20 — 
			 Taiwan — — — — — — — — 833 1,051 50 — — 
			 Thailand — — — — — — — — — — 118 — — 
			 Turkey — — — 208 — 140 23 — 4,505 4,734 630 417 965 
			 Ukraine — — — — — — — — — — — — 38 
			 Uruguay — — — 0 597 — — 504 0 37 700 1,410 112 
			 USA — — — 1,249 948 968 1,170 734 1 4,096 768 733 708 
			 Zimbabwe — — — — — — — — — — — 102 203 
		
	
	Note:
	Made-up garments containing fur consist of
	Commodity code 43031010—articles of apparel of furskins of whitecoat pups of harp seal or of pups of hooded seal (blue-backs)
	Commodity code 43031090—articles of apparel and clothing accessories of sheep or lambskin other
	Commodity code 43039000—other furskin articles other than clothing accessories
	There was no trade in commodity code 43031010 for the years 1996–97
	Source:
	DTI analysis of data from HM Customs and Excise

Fur Imports

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what quantities of domestic (a) dog and (b) cat fur have been imported into the UK over the last five years.

Nigel Griffiths: The information requested is not available because the system of classification used to record trade does not separately identify cat and dog fur.

Fur Imports

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will ban the trade in domestic (a) dog and (b) cat fur.

Nigel Griffiths: Bans on trade in goods such as dog and cat fur are a matter of exclusive European Community competence and the UK cannot act unilaterally.

European Charter for Small Enterprises

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made in implementing the principles behind the European Charter for Small Enterprises in the United Kingdom.

Nigel Griffiths: The UK is firmly committed to a full implementation of the European Charter for Small Enterprises. We believe that since its adoption in June 2000 useful progress has been made in the United Kingdom under all 10 lines for action contained in the charter. Recent examples include proposals for the revision of company law, proposals for the reform of competition rules and insolvency law, continuing action under the UK online for business initiative, and the opening of the 'smallbusinesseurope' office in Brussels. Details of these and many other relevant UK actions can be found in a recent report provided to the European Commission, entitled "The European Charter for Small Enterprises—A Review of relevant actions and measures in force in the United Kingdom". Copies of this report have been placed in the Library of the House. At a wider European level, the UK co-organised with the European Commission a conference on top-class business support services in Cardiff in October.
	While we believe that real progress has been made in some areas, we recognise that more needs to be done if we are to meet our own and the EU's goals for creating the best possible environment for small firms. We will continue therefore to take action which will help us and encourage our European partners to achieve these goals.

European Charter for Small Enterprises

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the principle embodied in the European Charter for Small Enterprises relating to the exemption of small enterprises from certain regulatory obligations.

Nigel Griffiths: The Government agree with the principle embodied in the European Charter for Small Enterprises that legislative simplification can help reduce the burden of compliance for small business. In the UK the approach has been to adopt "Think Small First" principles—all those considering regulation must first consider alternatives to regulation as well as whether exemptions for small firms are appropriate, the case for exemptions for small firms from regulatory obligations is then made on a case by case basis.
	Exemptions for small enterprises from certain regulatory obligations can be a useful way of reducing burdens on business e.g. on audit thresholds, the requirement to consult on redundancies, the need to have works councils and most recently the draft Information and Consultation Directive. There are a range of regulations, such as those relating to food safety, the national minimum wage, environmental protection and health and safety where this is less likely to be appropriate (because of the need to safeguard the rights of employees and protect consumers) and may in fact create a barrier to growth for small firms.

Export Licences (Israel)

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many standard individual export licences have been issued for exports to Israel during (a) May, (b) June, (c) July, (d) August, (e) September and (f) October; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: The number of Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) issued to end users in Israel was as follows.
	
		
			 Month Number 
		
		
			 May 0 
			 June 0 
			 July 81 
			 August 17 
			 September 16 
			 October 25 
		
	
	All export licence applications to Israel continue to be considered against the consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria in light of the circumstances prevailing at the time of the application. This means inter alia we will not issue licences where there is a clear risk that the equipment might be used for internal repression, international aggression, adversely affect regional stability or prolong internal conflict.

Ministerial Visit (China and Japan)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the people met by the Energy Minister on his recent visit to China and Japan; and if she will place in the Library copies of documents made available to the Minister's hosts by her Department during the trip.

Brian Wilson: The information is as follows:
	BEIJING
	State Development and Planning Commission (SDPC), Vice Chairman Mr. Wang Chunzheng
	President, AVIC: Mr. Liu Gaozhuo
	Vice President, AVIC 2: Mr. Liang Zhenhe
	Minister, CAAC: Mr. Liu Jianfeng
	Director General, Foreign Capital Utilization Department: Mr. Mu Hong
	Director General, Foreign Affairs Department: Mr. Xu Tongmao
	President, BP Amoco China: Dr. Gary Dirks
	LNG Technical Manager, Shell Gas and Power: Mr. Nizoo Visram
	Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce: Mr. John Rose
	Vice Minister, State Economic and Trade Commission: Mr. Zhang Zhigang
	President and CEO, China National Petroleum Corporation: Mr. Ma Fucai
	Chairman and CEO, China National Offshore Oil Corporation: Mr. Wei Liucheng
	President and CEO, China National Chemicals Import and Export Corporation: Mr. Liu Deshu
	President, China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation: Mr. Li Yishong
	Ambassador's Dinner
	Chief Representative, BNFL Westinghouse: Mr. Gavin Liu
	XRJ Consulting (Advisers to International Power) Mr. Ian Stones
	PR Manager, China, British Airways: Mr. Peter Liver
	General Manager, China, Virgin Atlantic: Mr. Jonathan Harding
	Deputy Director-General of the International Co-operation Department, State Economic Trade Commission
	Deputy Head, China Britain Natural Gas Working Group: Mr. Wang Shanchuan
	Deputy Director-General Foreign Affairs, PetroChina: Mr. Bao Qiping
	SHANGHAI
	Vice Mayor Han Zheng, Shanghai Municipal Peoples' Government
	Chairman, China Eastern Airlines: Mr. Ye Yi Ghan
	Director, Shanghai Airlines; Zhou Chi
	CEO East China Gas and Power, BP China Ltd.: Mr. Alistair Ferguson
	Deputy Project Director, Shanghai Ethylene Cracker Complex (SECCO), BP South East Asia Ltd.: Mr. Tony Atkins
	JAPAN
	Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
	Mr. Yoshihisa Ohshima, Senior Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
	Mr. Hirobumi Kawano, Director General, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy
	Ministry of the Environment
	Ms Yoriko Kawaguchi, Minister of the Environment
	Mr. Kenji Kamiigawara, Private Secretary to the Minister
	Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Civil Aviation Bureau
	Mr. Kenichi Fukaya, Director General
	Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO)
	Mr. Nobuya Minami, President
	Mr. Ryoichi Shirato, Vice-President
	The Kansai Electric Power Company Inc.
	Mr. Yohsaku Fuji, President
	Mr. Tetsuji Kishida, Managing Director
	Japan Airlines Co Ltd.
	Mr. Katsuo Haneda, Senior Vice President
	All Nippon Airways Co Ltd.
	Mr. Hiromechi Toya, Executive Vice President
	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
	Mr. Yasutada Sasaki, Senior Manager, civil Aircraft and Aeroengine Department
	Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.
	Mr. Fumitake Kadowaki, Vice President, Gas Turbine and Machinery Company
	Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Ltd.
	Mr. Teiichi Tamaki, Board Director and Vice-President of Aeroengine and Space Operations
	Airbus Japan KK
	Mr. Patrick Caroll, OBE, President
	Rolls-Royce International Ltd.
	Mr. Bob Moore, Regional Director, Japan
	Other junior representatives of public and private sector organisations in the energy and aerospace sectors (at a dinner and luncheon hosted by Her Majesty's Ambassador).
	No documents were made available to the Minister's hosts by the Department during the trip.

Regional Venture Capital Funds

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what response her Department has made to points raised by the Commission regarding United Kingdom practice in regional venture capital funds in Com 2001/712 EC.

Nigel Griffiths: Com 2001/712 EC was the document issued by the European Commission granting State Aid clearance to the Regional Venture Capital Fund programme. It was not necessary for the UK Government to respond to the document.
	In common with any programme of this kind, the Regional Venture Capital Funds had to be approved by the European Commission under State Aid guidelines. DTI and SBS officials have worked together with EU officials to enable the European Commission to grant this approval.

Atomic Energy Police Force

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what makes of vehicles are operated by the Atomic Energy police force; and what is the purchasing policy on UK-built vehicles by the Atomic Energy police.

Brian Wilson: The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary (UKAEAC) currently operates 46 vehicles consisting of 22 Ford, seven Landrover, six Vauxhall, five LDV, three Volkswagen, two Mitsubishi and one Peugeot. The UKAEAC's policy is to buy the correct vehicles for its operational needs, with the option for purchasing UK-built vehicles when this is consistent with securing value for money.

Nuclear Industry

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of BNFL's liabilities for (a) radioactive waste and (b) decommissioning is attributed to THORP; and what proportion of the decommissioning costs estimated for THORP will be covered by overseas baseload contracts.

Brian Wilson: In accordance with standard accounting practice, information about BNFL's liabilities and provisioning are included in the company's annual report and accounts. The details of BNFL's contracts with overseas THORP baseload reprocessing customers are a commercial matter for BNFL and its customers under Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Miners' Pension Schemes

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what sums the Government have obtained annually as guarantors from surplus arising from the (a) mineworkers' pension scheme and (b) British Coal staff superannuation scheme since 1994, at constant prices.

Brian Wilson: The cash values of receipts from the two schemes since payments began in 1996–97 are as follows:
	
		£ million 
		
			 Year BCSSS MPS Total 
		
		
			 1996–97 39.5 0.0 39.5 
			 1997–98 39.5 113.0 152.5 
			 1998–99 107.1 113.0 220.1 
			 1999–2000 107.1 0.0 107.1 
			 2000–01 53.9 257.0 310.9 
			 2001–02 216.0 196.0 412.0 
		
	
	The Department's calculation of the value of these sums at 2000–01 prices, using the GDP Deflator is as follows.
	
		£ million 
		
			 Year BCSSS MPS Total 
		
		
			 1996–97 43.7 0.0 43.7 
			 1997–98 42.3 121.2 163.5 
			 1998–99 111.7 117.9 229.6 
			 1999–2000 109.0 0.0 109.0 
			 2000–01 53.9 257.0 310.9 
			 2001–02 210.7 191.2 401.9

Miners' Compensation

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average level is of (a) interim and (b) final payments made to date to former miners and their estates under the chronic bronchitis and emphysema compensation scheme.

Brian Wilson: Interim payments are made in a wide range of circumstances and vary widely in value. Claimants who are in receipt of the Industrial Injuries Benefit, PD D12, automatically receive an interim payment of £2,000. Further interims are offered where an expedited offer is made to a claimant, who subsequently rejects the offer and elects to undergo the full Medical Assessment Process or MAP. Where there is an outstanding issue prohibiting a full and final offer, an interim payment is made, the percentage determined by IRISC, the Department's claims handlers. Interim payments are also advanced to the estate or widow, subject to certain criteria cited in the Handling Agreement, of between £3,500 and £7,500. Interest is applicable. To date, over 41,300 interim payments have been made, amounting to £159.5 million. This averages at £3,857, although some claimants may be eligible for more than one payment.
	Full and final offers including expedited payments vary widely. Expedited offers are made between £2,050 and £14,500. To date, over 12,800 settlements have been made to the value of £68.2 million. This averages at £5,293 per claimant.

Renewable Energy

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research the Government are conducting into underwater tractors used to plant wind farms off the Dutch coast.

Brian Wilson: The Department's wind R&D programme has offshore wind as a key priority, and specifically:
	the development and evaluation of improved offshore installation techniques and vessels.
	To date no proposals have been put forward to evaluate the concept of installing offshore wind turbines using tractors or other devices that have the capability to drive along the seabed rather than using surface vessels. Consequently there has been no research on the programme in this area. The opportunity for industry to conduct research in this area remains.

Renewable Energy

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research her Department is conducting into the problems of off-shore wind turbines, with particular reference to fatigue caused by waves and wind vibrating the structure in rough weather.

Brian Wilson: The Department is currently supporting a project addressing this area. It is monitoring the loads, waves and wind on the UK's first offshore wind turbines at Blyth. It will provide the data and analysis to improve our understanding of the design loads and assumptions that should be used in these more severe offshore conditions, especially the treatment of combined wave and wind loading for both fatigue and extreme loads.
	The objectives of the project are:
	to establish and then analyse a database of measurements for validation and enhancement of advanced methods for computer modelling and design analysis of offshore wind turbines.
	to provide a critical appraisal of present design procedures and certification rules for offshore wind turbines and to recommend changes where appropriate.
	to catalogue the key design requirements of offshore wind turbines for sites where the environmental conditions are severe.
	The project is due for completion in 2003, but papers on the interim results are expected in advance of this.

Renewable Energy

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research is being conducted by her Department into designing a lattice tower that can change its stiffness and resonant frequency by causing hydraulic pistons to control the rigidity of the diagonal cross bars for off-shore wind turbines.

Brian Wilson: The Department's wind R&D programme attaches priority to offshore wind and specifically to the following aspects of offshore wind R&D projects:
	the development and evaluation of innovative UK wind turbine components, offering improved performance;
	the development and evaluation of innovative wind turbine designs offering improved performance.
	To date no proposals have been put forward to design a lattice tower that can change its stiffness and resonant frequency by causing hydraulic pistons to control the rigidity of the diagonal cross bars for off-shore wind turbines. Consequently there has been no research on the programme in this area.

Aggregates

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much (a) aggregate and (b) concrete product by weight was imported to Britain in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Brian Wilson: During the 12 months to June 2001, the United Kingdom imported some 380,000 tonnes of aggregate and some 50,000 tonnes of concrete products.

Wave Power

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will 
	(1)  list the proposed wave power developments awaiting planning permission in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland, giving their predicted output in kilowatt hours;
	(2)  publish a list of the operational wave power locations in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland, giving their output in kilowatt hours.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 20 November 2001
	The information is as follows.
	(a) In Scotland, the LIMPET shoreline device in Islay has a maximum capacity of 500 kW, although it does not generate at this level at present.
	There are no operational wave power installations in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.
	There are no proposals for wave power developments awaiting planning permission in Scotland, England, Wales or Northern Ireland.
	Wave power offers a substantial source of renewable energy for the future and the Government are actively seeking to encourage its development.

Regional Development Agencies

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the annual (a) running cost and (b) budget for each of the regional development agencies.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 20 November 2001
	The RDA's gross budgets and administrative budgets for 2001–02 are as follows:
	
		£000 
		
			   Net budget(13) Administration budget 
		
		
			 One North East 157,755 10,653 
			 North West Development Agency 276,215 14,044 
			 Yorkshire Forward 218,134 9,989 
			 East Midlands Development Agency 86,717 7,488 
			 Advantage West Midlands 159,801 8,793 
			 East of England Development Agency 58,247 5,836 
			 South East Development Agency 97,851 7,143 
			 South West Development Agency 84,663 9,099 
			 London Development Agency 277,142 9,470 
			  
			 Total 1,416,525 82,515 
		
	
	(13) Excluding receipts

Power Station (Plymouth)

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of when construction of the power station at Langage, Plymouth will commence;
	(2)  what steps will be taken by his Department to supervise the construction of the power station at Langage, Plymouth.

Brian Wilson: It is a commercial matter for the company when construction takes place. In carrying out that construction the company will have to comply with the planning conditions imposed on the development which are enforced by the relevant planning authorities. In this particular case the planning authorities are South Hams district council and Devon county council.

Nuclear Installations

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the remit of the Energy Review Group has been extended to include the consideration of security at nuclear power stations.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 22 November 2001
	The energy review was not extended in this way because the PIU is not the competent body for reviewing the security of nuclear installations.
	The Office for Civil Nuclear Security, the security regulator at civil nuclear sites, sets stringent standards for security at nuclear sites. OCNS works closely with the Health and Safety Executive, the safety regulator, which provides advice on the safety implications of events, including external hazards such as plane crashes, at nuclear installations. Security and safety precautions at nuclear sites are kept under regular review. Both regulators are reviewing all relevant precautions in the light of the recent terrorist attacks in the USA.
	The issue of energy infrastructure security in the face of terrorist activity has been raised at a general level in meetings and workshops held by the PIU after 11 September.

Nuclear Installations

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations the Energy Review Group have received in relation to security at nuclear power stations following the events of 11 September.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 22 November 2001
	The deadline for written submissions to the PIU Energy Review was before 11 September and so the majority of material received does not make reference to the tragic events in New York. The issue of energy infrastructure security in the face of terrorist activity has been raised at a general level in subsequent meetings and workshops held by the PIU and in the small number of late replies.
	A list of the submissions received by the Energy Review and a summary of the key themes raised can be viewed at the PIU website at www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/ innovation. Section B7 of the summary outlines the various points made to the review concerning nuclear power.

Electricity Generation

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of the UK's electricity was generated by nuclear power in (a) 1995, (b) 1996, (c) 1997, (d) 1998, (e) 1999 and (f) 2000.

Brian Wilson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Mr. Stunell) on 13 November 2001, Official Report, column 656W.

Electricity Generation

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of Scotland's electricity was generated by nuclear power in (a) 1995, (b) 1996, (c) 1997, (d) 1998, (e) 1999 and (f) 2000.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 22 November 2001
	Available information shows that in 1997 41 per cent. of the electricity generated in Scotland by major power producers was from nuclear stations. This rose to 44 per cent. in 1998, but then declined to 40 per cent. in 1999 and 34 per cent. in 2000. Figures for 1995 and 1996 are not readily available.

Medicine Licensing

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she will take to (a) extend the partial agreement on access to medicines for developing nations reached at Doha and (b) reach agreement on compulsory licensing in third countries.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 22 November 2001
	The UK whole-heartedly supports the Declaration on the TRIPS agreement and Public Health issued at the successful conclusion of the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the WTO at Doha, Qatar. This also commits member states, working through the TRIPS Council, to develop a solution before the end of 2002 as to how WTO Members with insufficient or no manufacturing capacities in the pharmaceutical sector might make effective use of compulsory licensing under the TRIPS Agreement.
	The UK continues to work in a range of other ways both bilaterally and through for example, the Global Fund for Health to improve access to medicines in poor countries.

Overseas Workers

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received on introducing legislation to ensure that employees are informed of Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice by British companies seeking to send workers abroad; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 22 November 2001
	I am not aware of any representations to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on this matter.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice is already readily accessible to employers as well as the general public by telephone (020 7008 0232/0233) and the FCO website "www.fco.gov.uk".

Ilisu Dam

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the recent decision by Balfour Beatty to withdraw from the Ilisu Dam project.

Patricia Hewitt: The decision taken by Balfour Beatty to withdraw from the Ilisu project was entirely a commercial decision and not a matter for Government.

White Goods

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has for promoting improvement of energy standards of white goods in the European Union.

Michael Meacher: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department will continue to encourage improved energy standards for household appliances, including white goods, the European Union via a mixture of policy instruments including mandatory energy labelling, minimum energy performance standards and voluntary agreements.
	We propose to work closely with stakeholders and other member states to reach agreement on the European Commission's proposals for a Framework Directive for Minimum Efficiency Requirements for End-Use Equipment (due to be published in early 2002); to complete the review of Council Directive 92/75/EEC (on the indication by labelling and standard product information of the consumption of energy and other resources by household appliances) and to negotiate new voluntary agreements with European manufacturers and service providers as necessary.

HEALTH

Dentists

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was (a) the average annual income and (b) the average working week of dentists in (i) the NHS and (ii) private practice in the last 12 months.

Hazel Blears: Information on the working hours of general dental service dentists is not routinely collected.
	For dentists national health service income, the information regularly available is for payments by the Dental Practice Board for gross fees paid to dentists, but there is no corresponding data on hours worked. For private work, the available information is from the annual Inland Revenue survey of income and expenses. A survey carried out by the Office of Manpower Economics (OME) in March 2000, provides some limited data on this area. The survey reported:
	The average number of hours worked for single handed dentists at 43.1 hours per week.
	Full-time practitioners wholly committed to the GDS reported total gross fee earnings averaging £163,900 in the most recently completed financial year. These figures are affected by transfers of payments from associate dentists to practice owners.
	We estimate that the average net income for all dentists wholly committed to the GDS for the period ending 30 September 2001 would be about £65,000 after allowing for an average of £2,600 for other payments to dentists, an average expenses to income ratio for all dental work of 54.1 per cent. subsequent fee increases and the introduction of the dentists commitment payments scheme. The OME survey did not report private earnings of dentists, but using information collected by the Inland Revenue it is estimated that the average income for single-handed dentists from both GDS work and private practice would be around £70,000.

Mental Health

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the results of the collaboration between the Mental Health Act Commission, the Sainsbury centre for mental health and the university of Lancashire on ethnic monitoring, racial harassment and training, announced on 24 October 2000.

Jacqui Smith: The report from the Mental Health Act Commission, the Sainsbury centre for mental health and the university of central Lancashire will inform the work currently being drawn up to develop a strategy to address the needs of black and minority ethnic service users. It is hoped that the strategy will go for consultation in spring 2002 and be published later that year.

Computer Crime

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of computer (a) hacking (b) fraud and (c) theft his Department has recorded in 2000 and 2001; and on how many occasions in 2000 and 2001 computer systems in his Department have been illegally accessed by computer hackers (i) within and (ii) outside his Department.

Hazel Blears: There have been no reported incidents of illegal hacking or fraud on the Department's computer systems in 2000 and 2001. In 2000 there were computer thefts with a value of £45,894, whereas the equivalent figure for the year 2001 to date is £34,263.

Lymphoedema

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what clinics exist (a) in the UK and (b) in Gloucestershire to treat lymphoedema; what resources are provided for the treatment of that disease in (a) and (b); what training doctors are given in diagnosing and treating the disease; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 29 October 2001
	Data on the number of lymphoedema clinics across the United Kingdom are not collected centrally. A lymphoedema nurse specialist, funded by Macmillan Cancer Relief, holds weekly clinics in Gloucester and Cheltenham and also provides a domiciliary service.
	Lymphoedema care is mainly a nurse-led service and all breast cancer nurses will have lymphoedema management training. Doctors will receive training as part of their general medical training with further specialist training available in the charitable sector. In addition, there are a growing number of Lymphoedema specialist nurses who will have undertaken specialist nurse training which is carried out mainly in the charitable sector by organisations such as Macmillan Cancer Relief and Marie Curie Cancer Care. This is very much a nurse-led service and specialist nurses are recommended both in "Improving Outcomes Guidance" and the national cancer plan as being a vital part of the multidisciplinary team.
	NICE are developing guidance on supportive care which will include guidance on the support of patients with lymphoedema.

NHS Dentistry (Wiltshire)

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the availability of NHS dentistry in Wiltshire.

Hazel Blears: Wiltshire health authority has a dental access plan to ensure that all residents who wish to can access a national health service dentist within a reasonable time and distance. It is meeting the targets set in the plan. A dental access centre opened in Swindon in March 2000 and the health authority is planning to open a second in Chippenham in 2002.

Accident and Emergency (Staffing)

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the number of nurse practitioners in accident and emergency departments.

Hazel Blears: Reforming emergency care will provide funding of £40 million to recruit 600 additional nurses to work in accident and emergency departments. The additional nursing staff will consist of accident and emergency nurses, emergency nurse practitioners and nurse consultants in emergency care.

Anti-TNF Treatment

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on NHS circular HSC/1999/176 with respect to the duty of health authorities to develop policies for the managed introduction of drugs in advance of a decision by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence;
	(2)  when the National Institute for Clinical Excellence will report on anti-TNF drugs.
	(3)  whether health authorities and primary care groups may fund anti-TNF drugs in advance of the decision by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence; and (a) how many and (b) which are doing so.

Hazel Blears: We anticipate that the National Institute for Clinical Excellence will publish its guidance on anti-TNF drugs for rheumatoid arthritis in March 2002.
	Until NICE has completed its appraisal, standing guidance in health service circular 1999/176 advises national health service bodies to use their existing arrangements to determine local prescribing policies, using the publicly available evidence to inform their decision.
	The extent to which the NHS funds anti-TNF drugs will vary depending on local circumstances and priorities. Information on these local assessments is not collected centrally.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the Public Service Agreement target to improve the educational attainment of children looked after by local authorities by increasing to at least 50 per cent. by 2001 the proportion of children leaving care aged 16 or above with a GCSE or GNVQ qualification.

Jacqui Smith: Data published by the Department on 19 October 2001 showed that in year ending 31 March 2001, 37 per cent. of the 6,500 young people leaving care at age 16-plus obtained one or more GCSEs or GNVQs. This compares with 30 per cent. of care leavers in the previous year. Thirty local councils reported meeting the 50 per cent. target compared to 15 in the previous year.
	The attainment figures for year ending 31 March 2001 are based on examinations sat in summer 2000 and earlier, therefore preceding many of the important Government initiatives now under way to improve attainment.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Public Service Agreement target is for 2001–02 for the proportion of children in local authority care to have three or more placements in one year.

Jacqui Smith: The public service agreement target set following the comprehensive spending review in 1998 was:
	"Improve the continuity of care given to children looked after by local authorities by reducing to no more than 16 per cent. in all authorities the proportion of such children who have three or more placements in one year by March 2001."
	This target has been rolled forward to March 2002 thus enabling those authorities that have already met the target to continue to demonstrate their good practice and to provide those which have yet to meet it a further opportunity to achieve the standard required.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress towards meeting the Public Service Agreement target of a reduction in the death rate from accidents by at least 20 per cent. by 2010.

Hazel Blears: Latest available data (for the three years 1998–2000) show virtually no movement in the national death rate from unintentional injury. The target was announced in the saving lives White Paper published in July 1999, so we would not yet expect to see significant progress reflected in the information currently available.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress in meeting the Public Service Agreement target for reducing the national average emergency psychiatric re-admission rate by two per cent. by 2002.

Jacqui Smith: Assessment of progress is set out in the table. It shows the number of emergency psychiatric re-admissions of patients aged 16–64 within 90 days of all discharges from the care of a psychiatric specialist as a percentage of such discharges.
	
		
			   1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 Number of re-admissions within 90 days 15,461 14,875 14,068 
			 Total number of discharges 113,585 114,616 110,312 
			 Re-admission rate (percentage) (14)13.6 (14)13.0 (14)12.8 
		
	
	Progress is being made, and the national milestone as stated in the mental health national service framework to reduce the rate of psychiatric emergency readmissions by April 2002, from 14.3 per cent. to 12.3 per cent. is on target to being achieved.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress in meeting the Public Service Agreement target of reducing the per capita rate of growth in emergency admissions of people aged over 75 years to an annual average of two per cent. up to 2002–03.

Hazel Blears: The rates of growth nationally of emergency admissions of people aged 75 and over since 1998–99 are:
	1998–99 to 1999–2000: 0.62 per cent.
	1999–2000 to 2000–01: 0.01 per cent.
	2000–01 to 2001–02 (forecast): 0.30 per cent.
	All are within the present two per cent. growth target.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on success in meeting the Public Service Agreement target of reducing to no more than 16 per cent. the proportion of children in local authority care who had three or more placements in one year by 2001.

Jacqui Smith: Provisional data for the year ending 31 March 2001 indicate that 78 per cent. of local councils in England met the target of having no more than 16 per cent. of their looked after children having three or more placements in the year.
	The equivalent percentage of local councils who met this target in 1999–2000 and in 1998–99 was 53 per cent. and 39 per cent. respectively.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress towards meeting the Public Service Agreement target of a reduction in serious accidental injury relating to admission to hospital by at least 10 per cent. by 2010.

Hazel Blears: Latest available data (1998–99) show virtually no movement in serious accidental injury relating to hospital admission. The target was announced in the saving lives White Paper published in July 1999, so we could not yet expect to see progress reflected in the information currently available.

Appointments

Tim Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many appointments he has made to public bodies since 7 June; and how many are in his gift.

Hazel Blears: Information about numbers of ministerial appointments to public bodies is included in the Cabinet Office's annual report, "Public Bodies". Copies are available in the Library and the report is published on the Cabinet Office's internet website. The next edition of "Public Bodies", which will include numbers of appointments at 31 March 2001, will be published around the end of the year.
	238 public appointments were made by departmental Ministers between 7 June and 31 October 2001. A total of 1,041 public appointments are directly within the gift of Department of Health Ministers, 14 of which are joint appointments with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Public appointments to national health service trusts, health authorities and primary care trusts have since 1 April 2001 been made by the NHS Appointments Commission.

NHS Magazine

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total costs were to his Department of producing the NHS magazine in the last 12 months.

Hazel Blears: The Department has spent £899,480 on the production and distribution of the NHS magazine in the last 12 months (November 2000-October 2001).

Child Care

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has conducted into the reasons for the change in the number of children looked after by local councils since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The Department commissioned, at the beginning of the year, the Thomas Coram Research Unit (Institute of Education, University of London) to conduct a tightly focused research study into the reasons that lie behind the increase in the number of children looked after by local authorities since 1994.
	The research is designed to assess, among other things, the extent to which drug taking, alcoholism, violence and mental health problems within the family may have been significant factors underlying decisions made by local authorities to look after children.

Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people he estimates to be suffering from diabetes in each health area;
	(2)  if he will make the treatment of diabetes a higher priority;
	(3)  when he plans to publish the national service framework for diabetes;
	(4)  when he will publish a statement on his plans to identify the two types of diabetes;
	(5)  what recent consultations he has had with people suffering from diabetes.

Jacqui Smith: An estimated 1.3 million people in England have diagnosed diabetes. A population of 100,000 would be expected to include between 2,000 and 3,000 people with diabetes.
	We are committed to improving the quality of care for people with diabetes. That is why we are developing a national service framework for diabetes. We shall be publishing the framework in two stages—the standards shortly and the delivery strategy next summer. The standards will cover the prevention, identification and management of diabetes and its complications.
	Ministers have met regularly with Diabetes UK, which represents people with diabetes, and I last met with it on 22 October. We have involved people with diabetes in the development of the diabetes national service framework standards, and the implementation group that will inform the development of the delivery strategy will work openly with people with diabetes and others with an interest.

Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expenditure on diabetes was in each year since 1996 in the Leicestershire health authority.

Jacqui Smith: It is difficult to be precise about the exact level of expenditure on diabetes, as people with this condition are cared for by so many sectors of the health services. The table details the general medical services non-discretionary expenditure incurred by Leicestershire health authority on the chronic disease management programme for diabetes in each financial year since 1996–97. It must be emphasised that these figures do not reflect the full expenditure on diabetes by the health authority during this period.
	
		General medical service non-discretionary expenditure on CDM diabetes 1996–97 to 2000–01—Leicestershire health authority
		
			 Year £ 
		
		
			 1996–97 174,450 
			 1997–98 189,377 
			 1998–99 193,767 
			 1999–2000 208,114 
			 2000–01(14) 215,895 
		
	
	(14) Data for 2000–01 are provisional
	Source:
	Annual financial returns for health authorities

Smoking Cessation

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will announce his decision in respect of funding for smoking cessation for (a) 2002–03 and (b) subsequent years in respect of the North Staffordshire health authority; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 16 November 2001
	Decisions on central funding for 2002–03 have not yet been finalised. Future decisions will form part of the Department's spending review 2002.
	The NHS plan sets out a major expansion in services to help reduce smoking. The national health service smoking cessation services have proved to be effective, helping around 61,500 smokers to quit at the four-week stage in 2000–01.

Age Discrimination

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department has taken to tackle discrimination against older people.

Jacqui Smith: The national service framework for older people (NSF), published 27 March 2001, provides the first co-ordinated programme of actions to ensure that older people are never unfairly discriminated against in accessing national health service or social care services as a result of their age. Standard one of the NSF sets out actions and the time scale for achievement of milestones to identify and address age discriminatory policies and practices in the provision of health and social care services.
	To date, initial action has focused on ensuring older people are engaged in the policy and priority planning at national and local level; the undertaking of an audit of written, age-related policies in the NHS; and the development of guidance for undertaking a review of eligibility criteria for adult social care.

Prescription Pricing Authority

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the breakdown of the costs to public funds in 2001–02 of the Prescription Pricing Authority.

Hazel Blears: Information about the cost of the Prescription Pricing Authority (PPA) for 2001–02 will not be available until its accounts are completed and published in its next annual report in autumn 2002. Details of the PPA's costs and activities for 2000–01 are in the latest annual report. A copy is available in the Library and on the internet at www.ppa.org.uk.

Patient Advocates

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to public funds is in 2001–02 of the patient advocates in hospitals.

Hazel Blears: £10 million was earmarked in 2001–02 to fund this service, which is now to be called the patient advice and liaison service following the response to the recent listening exercise.

Cannabis

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward legislation to allow medicinal cannabis to be prescribed in the same way as heroin.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 19 November 2001
	We have approved a number of clinical trials into the medicinal use of cannabis. Once the results of the trials have been properly evaluated, we will have an evidence base that will allow us to decide how to proceed.

Pneumococcal Vaccinations

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to make the pneumococcal vaccine more widely available to the under 65 age group; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  in which health authorities in England and Wales the pneumococcal vaccine is available to those aged (a) over and (b) under 65 years;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of (a) the lives saved, (b) the hospital bed days saved and (c) the hospital costs saved by extending the availability of the pneumococcal vaccine; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Pneumococcal vaccine is recommended for all those aged two years or older in whom pneumococcal infection is likely to be more common and/or dangerous, for example, those with:
	Asplenia or severe dysfunction of the spleen
	Chronic renal disease or nephrotic syndrome
	Immunodeficiency or immunosuppression due to disease or treatment, including HIV infection at all stages
	Chronic heart disease
	Chronic lung disease
	Chronic liver disease including cirrhosis
	Diabetes mellitus.
	Health authority data on the use of pneumococcal vaccine are not available. It is the responsibility of general practitioners and nurses to identify and immunise their at risk patients.
	The Department has not carried out a cost-effectiveness study of administering the pneumococcal vaccine, but continues to recommend the vaccine based on underlying ill health rather than age.

National Institute for Clinical Excellence

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what monitoring his Department has undertaken to ensure that NICE guidance is fully implemented for each technology appraisal undertaken by NICE where the technology was recommended as suitable for use within the NHS.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 20 November 2001
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, North (Dr. Gibson) on 5 November 2001, Official Report, column 119W.

Small Acute Hospitals (Emergency Admissions)

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons regarding the future of smaller acute hospitals which take emergency admissions.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 20 November 2001
	Ministers hold regular meetings with the royal colleges to discuss developments in the NHS.
	I will be meeting Professor Alberti, President of the Royal College of Physicians in the near future to discuss issues around acute medicine and emergency services with particular reference to acute hospitals.

Nuffield Trust

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the Nuffield Trust report, "Local Medical Emergency Units: Learning Set Interim".

Hazel Blears: holding answer 20 November 2001
	This is a useful and interesting interim report offering some alternative thinking on the idea of localised medical care provision brought about by technological developments in communications.
	This will undoubtedly make an important contribution to the on-going debate around service development.

Beef Imports

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are taken to ensure that beef imported from other countries, from which spinal cord tissue has not been removed, is safe.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 20 November 2001
	Where consignments of imported carcase beef are found with spinal cord still attached, and the age of the animals at slaughter or the countries of origin of the consignment means that such spinal cord is defined as specified risk material, the whole of the carcase or part carcase containing the spinal cord is detained and destroyed and is not permitted to enter the human food or animal food chains.

Ward Housekeepers

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ward housekeepers were in post using the most recent figures available, broken down by (a) region and (b) health authority.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 21 November 2001
	The NHS plan set the target that:
	"Half of all hospitals will have ward housekeepers by 2004".
	To date, 29 per cent. of acute hospitals and 23 per cent. of mental health hospitals have begun to introduce the service (although not necessarily across all wards). Because there are local variations in how services are organised, we do not have data on the number of housekeepers in post. However, the latest figures provided by trusts to National Health Service Estates indicate that of the 9,000 wards within England, 2,266 have a housekeeping service.
	
		Breakdown by region
		
			  Region Number of wards with housekeeping service 
		
		
			 Northern and Yorkshire 409 
			 Trent 309 
			 West Midlands 240 
			 North West 177 
			 Eastern 220 
			 London 276 
			 South East 426 
			 South West 209 
			  
			 Total 2,266 
		
	
	
		Breakdown by health authorities
		
			 Health authority Number of wards with housekeeping service 
		
		
			 Northern and Yorkshire region  
			 Bradford HA 25 
			 County Durham and Darlington HA 26 
			 East Riding and Hull HA 55 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside HA 0 
			 Leeds HA 116 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside HA 3 
			 North Cumbria HA 3 
			 Northumberland HA 26 
			 Sunderland HA 41 
			 Tees HA 37 
			 Wakefield HA 56 
			 North Yorkshire HA 17 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees HA 4 
			   
			 Trent region  
			 Barnsley HA 5 
			 North Derbyshire HA 0 
			 South Derbyshire HA 16 
			 Doncaster HA 0 
			 Leicestershire HA 40 
			 Lincolnshire HA 48 
			 North Nottinghamshire HA 38 
			 Nottingham HA 55 
			 Rotherham HA 0 
			 Sheffield HA 107 
			 South Humber HA 0 
			   
			 West Midlands region  
			 Birmingham HA 106 
			 Coventry HA 7 
			 Dudley HA 3 
			 Herefordshire HA 0 
			 Sandwell HA 23 
			 Shropshire HA 12 
			 Solihull HA 0 
			 North Staffordshire HA 0 
			 South Staffordshire HA 36 
			 Walsall HA 26 
			 Warwickshire HA 22 
			 Wolverhampton HA 4 
			 Worcestershire HA 1 
			 North West region  
			 South Lancashire HA 0 
			 Liverpool HA 14 
			 Manchester HA 0 
			 Morecambe Bay HA 2 
			 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 31 
			 Salford and Trafford HA 26 
			 Sefton HA 3 
			 Stockport HA 0 
			 West Pennine HA 36 
			 Bury and Rochdale HA 31 
			 North Cheshire HA 0 
			 South Cheshire HA 4 
			 East Lancashire HA 14 
			 North West Lancashire HA 6 
			 Wigan and Bolton HA 10 
			 Wirral HA 0 
			   
			 Eastern region  
			 Bedfordshire HA 9 
			 North Essex HA 34 
			 South Essex HA 12 
			 Suffolk HA 30 
			 Cambridgeshire HA 62 
			 Norfolk HA 12 
			 Hertfordshire HA 61 
			   
			 London region  
			 Hillingdon HA 0 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster HA 25 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest HA 0 
			 Croydon HA 0 
			 Kingston and Richmond HA 0 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham HA 74 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth HA 16 
			 Barking and Havering HA 0 
			 Brent and Harrow HA 4 
			 Camden and Islington HA 5 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow HA 76 
			 East London and the City HA 0 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey HA 37 
			 Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich HA 39 
			   
			 South East region  
			 Berkshire HA 13 
			 Buckinghamshire HA 28 
			 East Kent HA 65 
			 West Kent HA 22 
			 East Surrey HA 25 
			 West Surrey HA 49 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove HA 63 
			 West Sussex HA 49 
			 Northamptonshire HA 27 
			 Oxfordshire HA 25 
			 North and Mid Hampshire HA 6 
			 Southampton and South West Hampshire HA 16 
			 Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire HA 38 
			   
			 South West region  
			 Somerset HA 0 
			 South and West Devon HA 39 
			 Wiltshire HA 2 
			 Avon HA 43 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly HA 37 
			 Dorset HA 13 
			 North and East Devon HA 54 
			 Gloucestershire HA 21

Winter Plan 2001

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the 2001 winter plan.

Hazel Blears: We expect to publish the winter plan in early December.

Tuberculosis Vaccine

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of 10 to 14-year-olds are inoculated against tuberculosis in each health authority in the latest year for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: The information available for children aged 10 to 15 immunised against tuberculosis (BCG) is contained in table 8 of the statistical bulletin "NHS Immunisation Statistics, England: 2000–01". The information is by the national health service trust whose staff immunised the child, and not by the child's health authority of residence.
	A copy of the bulletin is in the Library and can also be found on the Department's website www.doh.gov.uk/ public/sb0121.htm.

Consultant Neurologists

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultant neurologist (a) vacancies and (b) posts there were in 2000; and how many of the consultant neurologists in post in 2000 were (i) full-time and (ii) part-time.

John Hutton: holding answer 22 November 2001
	The number of consultant neurologists employed and the type of contract they held in September 2000 are shown in the table.
	
		Hospital medical consultant neurologists by nature of contract England at 30 September 2000
		
			  All staff 
		
		
			 All staff 330 
			 Full time 230 
			 Maximum part-time — 
			 Part-time 40 
			 Honorary 60 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health 2000 medical and dental workforce census
	Information is not collected centrally on the number of consultant neurologist posts and vacancies.

Cirencester Hospital

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with (a) East Gloucestershire health trust, (b) Cotswold and Stroud primary care group and (c) Gloucestershire health authority about proposed changes to the range of services offered at Cirencester hospital with particular reference to the A&E Department;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with Gloucestershire ambulance trust about the provision for an additional ambulance for residents in Cirencester who need to travel longer distances to other hospitals following a curtailment of services at Cirencester.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 22 November 2001
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no discussions about the future of services at Cirencester hospital. This is a matter for the local national health service bodies.

Medicines (Side Effects)

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which a medicine with severe side effects would cease to be licensed;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to establish if a typical anti- psychotics have a lower incidence of adverse side effects, with particular reference to tardive dyskinesia;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on the circumstances to be taken into account by the MCA in monitoring the licensing of a medicine, with particular reference to the licensing of a new medicine with a lower incidence of side effects.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 22 November 2001
	The primary objective of the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) is to safeguard public health by ensuring that all medicines on the UK market meet appropriate standards of safety, quality and efficacy. A marketing authorisation is granted when the balance of risks and benefits is considered to be favourable in the proposed indication.
	The MCA continually monitors the safety of all medicines using a number of data sources with expert advice from the independent scientific advisory committee, the Committee on Safety of Medicines. If there is evidence that the balance of risks and benefits is no longer favourable, regulatory action may be taken to minimise risk. This may include strengthening warnings, restricting the terms of the marketing authorisation, or in appropriate circumstances its revocation. Such regulatory action is pursued with the Medicines for Human Use (Marketing Authorisations Etc.) Regulation, SI 1994 No. 3144 and relevant European Community obligations.
	Spontaneous reporting data, which are collated by the MCA/CSM through the yellow card scheme, can be used to compare the safety profiles of medicines within a drug class. However, these comparisons must be evaluated with care, as levels of reporting of adverse reactions for particular drugs are dependent on a number of factors including the usage of the drug and the length of time it has been on the market.
	The MCA/CSM intensively monitors the safety of all new medicines under a scheme called the black triangle scheme where any of the following circumstances apply:
	If the medicine contains a new active substance or a combination of active substances
	If the medicine is administered via a novel route or drug delivery system
	If the medicine is going to be used in a new population of patients.

National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Bill

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the changes in administrative work resulting from the implementation of Clauses 1 to 4 of the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Bill;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the savings in management resulting from the implementation of Clauses 1 to 4 of the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Bill.

John Hutton: holding answer 22 November 2001
	Clauses 1 to 4 of the Bill prepare for the structural changes to the national health service. The 95 health authorities will be replaced by about 28 strategic health authorities; the eight regional offices of the Department will be abolished; and primary care trusts will be the key organisations undertaking an increased range of functions. £100 million is to be saved resulting from these changes: a combination not just of savings in management, but from a reduction in infrastructure and increases in shared services.

Public Bodies

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the (a) existing and (b) proposed NHS (i) national directors posts, (ii) commissions, (iii) offices, (iv) types of trust, (v) types of authority, (vi) groups, (vii) boards, (viii) committees, (ix) forums, (x) councils and (ix) bodies.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 22 November 2001
	The Department of Health public appointments annual report 2000, copies of which were sent to all hon. Members, contains details of all national health service trusts, primary care trusts, health authorities, special health authorities and non-departmental public bodies, including their chairs and non-executive members, as at 1 April 2000.
	The 2001 public appointments annual report will be published, covering local and national bodies and appointments as at 1 April 2001. As in previous years, copies of the report will be sent to all hon. Members.
	25 primary care trusts and 14 NHS trusts have been established since 1 April 2001. 28 new health authorities are to be established from April 2002 to replace the 95 currently established. An anticipated 15 care trusts are likely to be established during the course of 2002–03. About 120 PCTs are likely to be established over the course of the next two years. Other national bodies established since 1 April 2001 and those planned for the future are as follows.
	National Bodies established since 1 April 2001
	Advisory Committee on Tissue Banking
	General Social Care Council
	National Treatment Agency
	National Patient Safety Agency
	Prescription Pricing Control Tribunal
	Social Care Institute for Excellence
	National Bodies planned to be established
	Council for the Regulation of Healthcare Professionals
	Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health
	Health Professionals Council
	NHS Shared Services Programme
	Nursing and Midwifery Council
	Tobacco Regulatory Authority
	Medical Education Standards Board.
	Directors and chief executives of special health authorities and departmental non-departmental public bodies are listed in "Public Bodies 2000", a copy of which is in the Library. The 2001 edition of "Public Bodies" will be published in January 2002.
	There is a wide range of other offices, groups, committees, forums and bodies operating within the NHS, information on which is not held centrally.

Patients Forums

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what increase in public expenditure the creation of patients forums would require, after taking account of current funding allocations to community health councils and PALS.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 22 November 2001
	People are the most important resource and we will be working to ensure that we make the best use of time offered by lay volunteers in the health service. Patients forums will, of course, require support in terms of human and financial resources for their work, which will be provided by the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health through its local networks. Funding is therefore tied into the overall resource requirements for the commission and the new arrangements collectively, which we are discussing with Her Majesty's Treasury as part of the spending review process.

TREASURY

British Tourist Authority

Barbara Follett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to reduce the levels of irrecoverable VAT incurred by the British Tourist Authority in the current financial year; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: The BTA was awarded £14.2 million of additional funding this year to take forward its recovery plan to boost inbound tourism in the wake of the foot and mouth outbreak. Concern was raised in July that this would lead to the BTA incurring irrecoverable VAT on purchases relating to this programme.
	The BTA estimated the irrecoverable VAT would be around £600,000. However, HM Customs and Excise has now reached an agreement with the BTA to allow an increase in VAT recovery to achieve a fair and reasonable result within the existing rules. The agreement addresses the impact of foot and mouth disease upon all of BTA's work, not just the elements funded by extra grant in aid. As a result of this agreement, the BTA estimates that the level of irrecoverable VAT incurred on goods and services purchased as part of its tourism recovery programme has now been reduced by between £300,000 and £500,000.
	This agreement ensures that as much as possible of the BTA's grant-in-aid and extra funding will go directly towards helping inbound tourism to recover from a particularly difficult year, while complying with the tax laws which apply to all organisations buying goods and services.

Tax Burdens

Michael Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what in real terms was the tax burden in (a) 1997–98 and (b) the most recent year for which information is available on the lowest quintile of equivalised disposable income.

Andrew Smith: As a result of personal tax and benefit measures introduced since 1997, families with children in the poorest fifth of the population are on average £1,700 a year better off in real terms.
	The Office for National Statistics publishes an article, "The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes", usually in the April edition of "Economic Trends". The most recent article states
	"it should be noted that year on year comparisons between quintile groups of the impact of tax in total could be affected by the inconsistency between income and expenditure for households in the bottom half of income distribution."
	It goes on to say
	"The results are intended to be free standing: they were not designed for direct comparison with other years."

Bankruptcy and Winding-up Orders

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many (a) bankruptcy orders and (b) winding-up orders were granted to HM Customs and Excise in (i) 1999–2000, (ii) 2000–01 and (iii) 2001–02 to date;
	(2)  how many (a) bankruptcy petitions and (b) winding- up petitions were issued by HM Customs and Excise in (a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01 and (c) 2001–02 to date.

Paul Boateng: holding answer 5 November 2001
	The latest information, which is available on HM Customs' and Excise website, www.hmce.gsi.gov.uk, is as follows:
	
		1999–2001
		
			  Petitions issued Orders made 
			 Type 1999–2000 1999–2000 
		
		
			 Bankruptcy 4,894 2,412 
			 Winding up 4,426 2,750 
		
	
	Figures are not yet available for 2000–01 and 2001–02.

Venture Capital

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the total venture capital investment was in real terms in the last year for which information is available in each region of the United Kingdom;
	(2)  how much venture capital was invested in real terms in UK companies in each year since 1992.

Paul Boateng: No official statistics are published on venture capital investment. Information is, however, collected by the British Venture Capital Association, and is available from its website, www.bvca.co.uk.

Venture Capital

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total venture capital investment was as a percentage of GDP in the last year for which information is available in each member state of the European Union.

Paul Boateng: No official statistics are published on venture capital investment broken down by EU country. Information is, however, collected by the European Venture Capital Association and is available from its website, www.evca.com. GDP figures for EU members are available from Eurostat, www.europa.eu.int/comm/ eurostat.

Venture Capital

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the competition authorities of the European Commission on the Community investment scheme for venture capital subsidies in deprived areas; and if he will make a statement on compatibility of the proposals with European competition law on state aid.

Paul Boateng: The Government are confident that their proposals are compatible with state aid regulations.

Venture Capital

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how he will define disadvantaged areas in relation to the operation of the community investment scheme for venture capital subsidies in deprived areas.

Paul Boateng: I assume this question refers to proposals for a community development venture fund. The Government expect the operations of the community development venture fund to focus on the most disadvantaged areas in England as defined in the DTLR's index of multiple deprivation. The Government regard this a robust indicator of deprivation as it incorporates measures of:
	Income
	Employment
	Health, Deprivation and Disability
	Education, Skills and Training
	Geographical Access to Services
	Housing.
	Officials are still working on the details of the restrictions, which will require state aid approval.

Investment Tax Credit

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the deadweight take-up of the community investment tax credit in its first full year of operation; and what measures he will take to ensure that deadweight impact is minimised.

Paul Boateng: Forecasting in this area is very uncertain, with respondents to the Government's consultation on the community investment tax credit giving wide-ranging estimates of demand. The Government will minimise deadweight through the selection procedure for organisations using the tax credit.

White Papers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions in the last 12 months, confidential final revise proof copies of White Papers have been made available under embargo to (a) the Lobby and Upper Gallery and (b) members of other organised groups of correspondents before publication; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: The Treasury follows the guidance laid down in section 7: "Confidential Final Revise Copies" of the Cabinet Office's publication, "How to publish a Command Paper—February 2001" in its production of White Papers.

Aggregates Levy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has made to other European Union countries on the introduction of an aggregates levy broadly comparable with that proposed in the United Kingdom.

Paul Boateng: The UK co-operates with the other member states in several European forums to discuss tax matters, and it does so with our national commitment to sustainable development very much to the fore. However, the implementation of an aggregates levy in any other member state must be a matter for the elected Government of that state.

Aggregates Levy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the impact on the international competitiveness of the United Kingdom's quarry industry of the introduction of the aggregates levy;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely change in the import of (a) aggregate and (b) concrete products as a result of the aggregates levy;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the likely change in the import of concrete products to the United Kingdom from (a) the Republic of Ireland and (b) other countries following the introduction of the aggregates levy.

Paul Boateng: All imports of aggregate will be subject to the aggregates levy. Exports of aggregate from the UK will not be subject to the levy. This will protect the international competitiveness of the UK's quarrying industry.
	There is not expected to be significant impact on the concrete products sector generally because international trade in these products is limited by weight and transport costs. Imports currently represent a very small proportion of total pre-cast concrete industry sales, and these are mainly high value products whose prices would not be significantly affected by the levy.

Aggregates Levy

David Heath: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what representations he has received on the distribution of the sustainability fund derived from the proposed aggregates levy;
	(2)  what part will be played by local elected representatives in the distribution of the sustainability fund derived from the proposed aggregates levy.

Michael Meacher: I have been asked to reply.
	A DEFRA consultation paper on the possible distribution of the aggregates levy sustainability fund in England was published on 2 October 2001. A copy is available in the House of Commons Library.
	The paper invites views on how local authorities should be involved in the fund.
	We expect to receive comments on this issue and the others raised in the consultation paper until the consultation period closes on 27 November.
	Copies of the responses will be placed in the DEFRA library and may be published, unless a respondent asks for their response to be treated as confidential. Confidential responses will nevertheless be included in any statistical summary of views expressed.

Working Hours

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 6 November 2001, Official Report, column 154W, on working hours, if the raw data provided by staff are provided on a monthly basis; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: Before September 2000, data on working hours were manually collected three times a year as set out in the information requested by the hon. Member on 14 November 2001, Official Report, column 774W. Since September 2000, a spreadsheet has been available for staff to record their working hours which provides information on a monthly basis.